Another money grab.

[Topaz]

The new minister of state, Candy Bergen, has changed the fee for foreign musicians to play in Canada. Before the change the charges was 150.00 but now the feds have changed that to 450.00 per person within a Band and if I understand this right another 450.00 for the group as a whole. Bergen, who was on CBC, said before it was paid by taxpayers and now its to be paid by owners of clubs or bar that have enterainment. She also said this would help Canadians musicians careers but as it was pointed out any good band in Canada has most likely already made it. As it was said on CTV, many popular Bands are foreign and they may not want to come to Canada because of the expense. I think this is just another way for the Tories to get the spending cut they need because of their overspending and young people won't like it. I tried to find a link but couldn't.

[Guest American Woman]

Here's a link:

New fee for musicians visiting Canada could hurt small concert venues

Every international musician hired to play at a bar, pub or restaurant in Canada must apply for a work permit. That application costs $150 and hasn’t changed.

What has changed is that each “employer,” usually the venue or the promoter depending on the agreement, now must also pay an extra $275 processing fee for each musician. The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker.

More than 50,000 people have signed a petition asking Canadian MP Jason Kenney to scrap the $275 charge.

[cybercoma]

Here's a link:

New fee for musicians visiting Canada could hurt small concert venues

Every international musician hired to play at a bar, pub or restaurant in Canada must apply for a work permit. That application costs $150 and hasn’t changed.

What has changed is that each “employer,” usually the venue or the promoter depending on the agreement, now must also pay an extra $275 processing fee for each musician. The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker.

More than 50,000 people have signed a petition asking Canadian MP Jason Kenney to scrap the $275 charge.

I wonder if those 50,000 people realize that the fee is in response to the US visa requirements that charge musicians upwards of $1000 each to perform in the US?

[Guest American Woman]

I wonder if those 50,000 people realize that the fee is in response to the US visa requirements that charge musicians upwards of $1000 each to perform in the US?

Perhaps they do and don't care, or wouldn't care. Who do you think benefits/who loses more? At any rate, note the reason given. It has nothing to do with fees in the U.S. - "The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker," which I find reminiscent of the 'Canadian content on media outlets' requirements. Edited September 2, 2013 by American Woman

[Wilber]

Perhaps they do and don't care, or wouldn't care. Who do you think benefits/who loses more? At any rate, note the reason given. It has nothing to do with fees in the U.S. - "The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker," which I find reminiscent of the 'Canadian content on media outlets' requirements.

What do you think the US fees are intended to do? It's protectionism on both sides, pure and simple.

[Guest American Woman]

What do you think the US fees are intended to do?

I doubt if it's to "pay a labor market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring an [American] instead of a temporary foreign worker."

[Wilber]

I doubt if it's to "pay a labor market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring an [American] instead of a temporary foreign worker."

Course it is, you have all kinds of rules that discourage or downright prevent foreigners working in your country. For a foreigner to work in the US, an employer has to show, there are no qualified Americans available. Been there done that.

[GostHacked]

I have a friend/musician who cannot get into the USA. Him and his band were stopped and refused entry into the US because they are taking away jobs from Americans. Unless there are a lot of people who can play guitar/drums/bass as well as he can, then he is not stealing jobs.

And yet horrible artists like Celine Dion can take up shop and have a long running gig at a popular establishment.

Music is a little different. If I want a certain band to play and they are not from this country, there is NO band that can replace them. People did not buy tickets to see cover bands instead of the real band they paid to see.

This protectionism thing in terms of music jobs is dumb. Not everyone is a musician, and ever musician is different.

[cybercoma]

Course it is, you have all kinds of rules that discourage or downright prevent foreigners working in your country. For a foreigner to work in the US, an employer has to show, there are no qualified Americans available. Been there done that.

I was once offered a job in the US doing the same thing I was doing here but at 1.5x the pay. It was on the condition that we could get a work visa for me. At the time I lived on the border and would live in Canada and work in the US. Didn't work out. It was a huge hassle to get the visa.

[August1991]

The new minister of state, Candy Bergen, has changed the fee for foreign musicians to play in Canada. Before the change the charges was 150.00 but now the feds have changed that to 450.00 per person within a Band and if I understand this right another 450.00 for the group as a whole. Bergen, who was on CBC, said before it was paid by taxpayers and now its to be paid by owners of clubs or bar that have enterainment. She also said this would help Canadians musicians...

So Topaz, if I understand properly, you are angry that Harper makes it difficult to listen to foreign music - and yet, I can't enjoy foreign cheese, butter or milk?

To me, cheese is like music.

Why can Canadians enjoy (up to now) foreign music but not foreign cheese?

[Michael Hardner]

Why can Canadians enjoy (up to now) foreign music but not foreign cheese?

Indeed. Why is computer programming sold out to Asia without even a word in the press, while farming is sacrosanct ? Why do we lament manufacturing's demise but not the music industry ?

Why don't people understand economics ?

[guyser]

.

Why can Canadians enjoy (up to now) foreign music but not foreign cheese?

Well....you can of course, but not like the market would want.

Provincial and Federal quotas and import limitations put on by the govt thru the works of Dairy Mktg Boards.

Hell, cant even get Manitoba cheese in Ontario if only Prov"ly licenced. Not to mention raw milk cheeses.

[eyeball]

Why don't people understand economics ?

Because they don't understand governance.

[Bonam]

I doubt if it's to "pay a labor market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring an [American] instead of a temporary foreign worker."

Umm actually that's EXACTLY the process that the US uses for the typical employer-sponsored green card system, which accounts for the largest flow of legal immigrants into the US. And that process, by the way, is a hell of a lot more involved, prolonged, and expensive than the Canadian equivalent. You should learn more about your own country's immigration system:

http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/perm.cfm

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=cdfd2f8b69583210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=cdfd2f8b69583210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Specifically:

The DOL must certify to the USCIS that there are not sufficient U.S. workers able, willing, qualified and available to accept the job opportunity in the area of intended employment and that employment of the foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Bonam

[August1991]

Well....you can of course, but not like the market would want.

Provincial and Federal quotas and import limitations put on by the govt thru the works of Dairy Mktg Boards.

Hell, cant even get Manitoba cheese in Ontario if only Prov"ly licenced. Not to mention raw milk cheeses.

Imagine such a system for music.

And yet we "tolerate" such a system for cheese. And the sad thing is that while people around the world enjoy a tremendous variety of cheese, we in Canada have only cheddar, mozzarella and cheddar.

-----

Topaz, imagine if Canadians only had the music of Celine Dion and Justin Bieber. No Beatles, no Gwen Stafani, no Cheryl Cole. No Mozart, no Beethoven. None? Not quite. Foreigners such as Mozart and The Beatles can get 1% of the play time,

Such is our cheese market.

Edited September 28, 2013 by August1991

[GostHacked]

Imagine such a system for music.

And yet we "tolerate" such a system for cheese. And the sad thing is that while people around the world enjoy a tremendous variety of cheese, we in Canada have only cheddar, mozzarella and cheddar.

You are not looking hard enough then.

Topaz, imagine if Canadians only had the music of Celine Dion and Justin Bieber. No Beatles, no Gwen Stafani, no Cheryl Cole. No Mozart, no Beethoven. None? Not quite. Foreigners such as Mozart and The Beatles can get 1% of the play time,

Such is our cheese market.

The cheese cheese market, or the cheese music market?

[guyser]

Imagine such a system for music.

The day I can download some new cheese.....I will.

And yet we "tolerate" such a system for cheese. And the sad thing is that while people around the world enjoy a tremendous variety of cheese, we in Canada have only cheddar, mozzarella and cheddar.

No need to be silly. There is and remains so quite a far bit of cheese available, not nearly as much as we should though.