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In Canada and elsewhere in the world the arts and culture have moved away from a position of marginality to being at the core of new economic development strategies. The vice-chair of the Canada Council of the Arts, Simon Brault, traces this evolution and notes that Canada has greatly increased its support of cultural industries, whose economic spin-offs are estimated to be $26 billion. In spite of this, he writes, Canada is moving timidly in this field. We are still locked in a restrictive mode that is preventing us from taking full advantage of the potential of the arts and culture, which are incredible vectors of creativity, the principal driver of economic and social growth. He recommends a new cultural approach that will allow us to make “imaginative and promising links between education and culture, between health and culture, between citizenship and culture, between economic development and culture.” [editor summary]