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ARTS AND CULTURE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Posted by Sean McManus
October 8, 2008 at 2:00pm
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6 comments
UPDATE: Tory platform indicates Harper is willing to re-consider the controversial eligibility requirements for film tax credits found in bill C-10.
UPDATE: The Liberals release details of their arts platform: would raise total expenditure on the arts to $530 million over the next five years, Heritage critic Denis Coderre says.
UPDATE: Canadian artists have joined together to record a song, titled "You Have a Choice," to mobilize Canadian voters to let their voices be heard in support of strong, concrete action on climate change. The song is sponsored by Avaaz, a new web movement with over 300,000 supporters across Canada.Sept. 24 2008: Support for arts creation and the culture industries has made a splash in the Canadian federal election campaign this week. It's great to see all the parties talking about arts and culture and to have these issues of valuable and value-added support for culture on the table as an election promise.
The Liberals have called for a reversal of recent arts cuts and have pledged to increase funding to the Canada Council and the CBC, according to the Globe and Mail and CBC news.
The NDP also promised to reverse the cuts and announced a tax exemption for artists on up to $20,000 from copyright income as reported in by CBC news.
Jian Gomeshi contributed an opinion piece to the National Post on why public funding for the arts matters to all of us.
The Toronto Star is reporting on Stephen Harper's recent comment that the arts don't matter to "ordinary" Canadians. The conservatives point to their record of recent increases to the overall Canadian Heritage and Canada Council budgets.
COMMENTS
IMHO - the NDP is really the only party that truely supports, or even understands the arts. But then again, I also say bring back the DuMaurier Arts Fund. Light 'em up boys.
UPDATE: All-Party Forum on the Arts
Tuesday, October 7 – 12 noon to 1:30 pm
Tom Hendry Theatre (formerly the MTC Warehouse)
140 Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
A coalition of local arts groups has invited representatives from all major parties to attend a public forum on arts and culture. Moderated by Dave Angus, President & CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and President of the Board of Director of Prairie Theatre Exchange, the public forum will give candidates an opportunity to express their views on arts and culture – the contribution arts and culture make to the quality of life for Canadians, as well as the contribution arts and culture make to Manitoba’s economy.
Immediately following the forum, there will be the opportunity for representatives of the media to speak with candidates as well as members of the local arts industry.
What? When did it stop being the MTC Warehouse?! Who is Tom Hendry????
WWHD?
Arts funding has nothing to do with tuxedos
October 1, 2008
I'm writing in response to the corny and shortsighted comments from Stephen Harper regarding "arts galas and tuxedos" I find the well-rehearsed, patronizing folksiness of these sort of remarks to be just disgusting.
I've been a working artist for 10 years. I have benefited greatly from a variety of arts funding. Before I make my main point, I will state for the record that I've never been to an arts gala or anything that might require me to wear a tuxedo. I'm not sure I know anyone in my line of work who has. I'm sure that those "poor ole' down home folks" who "wouldn't relate" to such things also wouldn't relate to some of the high society dinners his job might take him to, either. But I digress.
The subject of arts funding is really the funding of maintenance and protection of a fragile cultural voice. It's very easy to see how, without protection, Canada would drown in a deluge of American entertainment and cultural offerings. It all comes down to population. Canada's is sparse, and spread out over thousands of kilometres. It means that cultural products created and sold in Canada only ever have the opportunity to garner "so much" in revenue.
Consequently, Canadian companies in the business of arts and arts groups are never in a financial position to compete in the kind of ways that well-funded American companies can on a global scale. It also means that powerful American companies dealing in entertainment and culture have the money and resources to overwhelm the competition (in this case Canada). This isn't about galas and tuxedos; it is about the protection of a great and unique voice in the world. Don't be fooled by the "down home" tone of Stephen Harper. The back-slapping boys' clubs and the expensive corporate friends that he and the Conservatives keep would be much harder for you and me to relate to than these fictional galas, indeed.
Hawksley Workman
Burk's Falls
SOURCE: www.huntsvilleforester.com
Hey folks! The Department of Culture local is planning a bunch of events, with a party at the Kings Head on Wednesday. Come on out!
This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bands, DJ's, VJ's from Video Pool.
King's Head Pub (Upstairs)
120 King Street, Winnipeg, MB
7:00 p.m. til' late
Admission: Pay What You Can ($5 suggested)
http://www.departmentofculture.ca
Bob Rae summed it up: "If Stephen Harper really was an economist, he would actually understand how foolish it is to think (the arts) is something other people do that has no connection to our economy at all."
www.canada.com
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