It all comes down to political misunderstanding and ignorance to the nature of the creative field. Many of these bands come to Canada where they (1) provide creative inspiration for concert goers with musical aspirations and (2) provide opportunities for promoters to boost local acts through opening slots, thereby exposing them to concert goers who may otherwise have little knowledge of the local music ongoings. The government's stupidity here is frankly borderline offensive. And, personally as a musician, knowing that some of my own band's biggest breaks have come through these slots, it's infuriating to the point of seizure.

Jason Kenney = gravy sucking bottom feeder!!!

This is bad news. We already have enough barriers to discourage international acts without this fee. Canadian music is just fine. Canadian musical figures are world renown, even if you don't like their music. If Canada wants to promote Canadian music (and I support that) then put more money in to developing it. The most important thing is to let them compete on a level playing field, with the rest of the world. Canadian musicians can stand their ground without creating a false world for them.

This is a case of the innocent suffering for the actions of the guilty.

Large corporations are importing workers and labour from overseas that could usually be filled by Canadians - these are usually the lowest wage, mass employment actions that benefit from such action by paying minimally and avoiding any employer responsibilities that come with following normal Canadian employment law. Paying a few dollars less per hour for a subservient employee makes sense when you have hundreds of them and don't have to worry about worker rights getting in the way of profits. These are the large mining companies, retailers, industrial and manufacturing companies, even banks and many, many small companies, that don't bat an eyelid at paying $275 per imported employee, since hiring a local person (along with the interview process and costs) and paying (and treating) them decently would cost more than that in the first month anyway - so for these companies, the fee should actually be far higher (and in fact the fee as a deterrent is a band-aid on a government cancer).

But, the flip side I do sympathise with (and admittedly never considered until now) is for artists, musicians etc that have a legitimate and plausible need to travel often and for short periods to earn a living.

The TFW program needs to be completely reviewed and overhauled to apply appropriately across various industries and, instead of applying a blanket fee structure, employ people and methods that are more effective, fair, and justified in who they ultimately end up allowing to earn money in Canada. After all, isn't that what it was created for in the first place?

If you want further proof of the failure of the TFW program, all one has to do is look at how far the federal and provincial governments go to bust unions and organized labour. It's a race to the bottom in terms of how to keep the economy afloat, balance unemployment and the juxtaposed, ironic need for skilled labour to fill jobs, all while investing as little as possible in systems, policies, or people that can manage the juggling act properly. And who suffers? Honest, skilled, organized labour from within our own borders. And musicians and artists become collateral damage.

It (generally) already cost more than a small unknown band could possibly make at their locally-repressed and under-attended gig, staged in the shitty area of town where all of their equipment will get stolen by junkie thieves. And now it will cost even more for this grand honour!

Because of size and pop distribution, it's never going to be in the financial interests of any up and coming Canadian act to tour Canada even regionally; it's not feasible, so no amount of restrictions on foreign acts is going to change that reality.

There have been recent developments in the movie industry also to prevent American actors and even background performers coming in to BC and taking jobs from people who could easily do the job here.
The Canadian music industry may have to rely less on Americans and stand more on its own two feet at the small venue level. If anything these regulation level the playing field for American musicians coming to Canada as it is for Canadians heading south.
I think it is a good idea and we need to step up to the plate and make it happen.

Alexandra Fortier is a dumb-ass:
“That’s the whole point of the Labour Market Opinion,” she said. “We want to make sure that the employer did his due diligence, that he went to see if Canadians were available first, before asking an American band to come play at their bar or restaurant.”

Do they think that bands playing at all live venues are just cover bands or something!? Wow ... that is some ignorance!

The reality is you can only go so far with an all Canadian/local scene ... you bring up a US band that had a draw & you get a busy venue, employing wait staff, bouncers, sound engineers, etc ... THERE is the economy being generated!

It's funny that they can spout off like they're being so protectionist about Canadian arts, when most acts they tend to champion based on their popularity in the US/abroad!?

The Steve-O way. Mega Dorks turned loose on Canada. In high school, we wouldn't even bother to rag on this sort. Better to ignore than torment. GET OUT AND VOTE next election and kick the bastards out! Better still, get active in your local riding to really make a difference.

I operate a nightclub venue that previously specialized in bringing in DJ entertainers. We not only employ the best local DJ talents, as well as the best in Western Canada, but had been bringing in alot of international talent. We would only ever book the international talent on weekdays (weekends are already quite busy), when we would normally be very very slow, or even closed. These high-profile shows would create business for us, therefore creating more CANADIAN jobs, like our bartenders, servers, coat check girls, security workers, janitors, managers, dancers, and cooks. Our venue is pretty small by most standards - 250 capacity - so our DJ show budgets are already pretty tight as it is. Frequently we are already struggling to break even on the shows, and any extra cost is difficult to explain to customers, but we see value in filling our venue and keeping our staff gainfully employed. Now however, we'll just be closed. Tell me how that helps our Canadian staff of 25 people?