The effort has its critics—but many observers view it as a model response.

When news came that Canada’s art institutions were shutting down to help stem the tide of coronavirus worldwide, Simon Brault was worried. “Immediately, we were concerned that we would be ignored,” says the director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, the nation’s largest funding body. “In previous crises, the cultural sector has been the last to be taken care of.”

Fortunately, he has been proven wrong. As the public-health crisis unfolds in Canada, many from both the commercial and non-profit art worlds say the government has taken their needs seriously in doling out billions of dollars in aid to various corners of the economy, which is floundering in the unprecedented lockdown.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/canada-funding-arts-sector-1847670