"The modest support from the Canada Council to young artists has frequently paid off in spades. In film, consider Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and François Girard. In literature, dance, music, theatre and the visual arts, the list could go on and on. As Margaret Atwood pithily said: 'If anyone says these were free handouts at the expense of the taxpayer, I'd tell them to stuff it up their jumper. The taxpayers didn't just get their money's worth. They got way, way more.' "