In a press release, the center said that its board had "approved the operating deficit in order to allow the NAC to continue with its national activities on the condition that the corporation return to an operating surplus in 2005-06."
The NAC is in fact projecting a small surplus for 2005-06.
According to the Ottawa Citizen, the deficit was attributable in large part to the Alberta Scene Festival in 2005, which lost C$3.5 million, and to lower ticket sales for Pinchas Zukerman's NAC Orchestra.