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Everyone should be very wary of a government that seeks to silence
arts and culture by slashing funding, particularly, in a quiet
subversive way instead of making a public announcement, but this is
exactly what Mr. Harper's government has done, and is doing.
There has been no public notice, no public consultation, only an
insidious methodology by a government that seeks to control any form, or
forum, that communicates views contrary to its own platform.
The following however, is a public notice by Ontario's Minister of
Culture and Minister Responsible for Seniors and Quebec's Minister of
Culture, Aileen Carroll, and, Christine St-Pierre, Communication and
Women's Issues as it appeared Aug 22, 2008 in Toronto Star Opinion.
"As ministers of culture for Quebec and Ontario, we want to convey our
deep disappointment about the recent cuts to federal arts and culture
programs. In so doing, we are joining countless Canadian artists and
arts organizations who have publicly expressed their grave concern. We
understand that at least seven programs that provide crucial support to
Canada's cultural sector have already been cut. We have now learned that
the federal government intends to continue this ill-advised course of
action, abolishing or severely reducing the budgets of essential
initiatives.
Our artists make unique, important and necessary contributions to the
cultural, social, economic and political development of our vibrant
society. They act as ambassadors for our culture abroad and here at
home. The excellence and the originality of their work witness and
mirror to the world the modernity, dynamism and vitality of our country.
They are the creative engines of our knowledge-based economy.
The culture sector plays a vital role in the Canadian economy. In Quebec
and Ontario, it contributes close to $30 billion to the two provinces'
GDP, which represents 68 per cent of the national cultural sector. It
also employs roughly 616,000 people across the country, of whom 68 per
cent call Quebec and Ontario home.
Culture is one of Canada's fastest growing economic sectors. Its spinoff
benefits include growth and diversification in tourism and local
economies, and skills development for the knowledge economy. Investing
in our homegrown talent on the international stage encourages
foreign investment, opens new markets for export and promotes our
country as a cultural tourism destination.
Equally vital, culture helps us define who we are, describes where we
have been and signals where we are going. Culture is an essential
ingredient to the cohesiveness of our society and to the promotion of
our identity.
This is not the time for the federal government to reduce support for
culture. Governments need to invest in the people and businesses that
make up our cultural industries so that Canada's economy will reap the
benefits. The governments of Quebec and Ontario understand this and have
targeted the cultural sector for investment to generate future growth in
our economy. Given the context of globalization, now is the time for
each province to promote Canadian culture. Our governments recognize the
power of culture in the conduct of international affairs, which is
essential for a country like Canada.
By cutting these federal programs without any notice or consultation,
the federal government has put the future of organizations and
initiatives across the country at serious risk. These programs,
primarily for international development, film, video and new media, have
complemented Quebec and Ontario programs in priority areas. They promote
our artists touring abroad and support the work of such prestigious
institutions as the Society for Arts and Technology and the Institut
national de l'image et du son, Hot Docs and the Canadian Film Centre.
These cuts will compromise years of work on the part of organizations,
artists and governments to make culture a sector of excellence
recognized throughout the world.
To grow a stronger economy and put Canada on the international stage, we
will need to work together. Quebec and Ontario will be raising this
issue at the Sept. 25-26 meeting in Quebec City of federal, provincial
and territorial ministers responsible for culture and heritage. We hope
that our colleagues from across Canada will join us in urging the
federal government to reinstate these programs and reinvigorate federal
funding in arts and culture. We both have asked federal Heritage
Minister Josée Verner to meet with us and to work
together to ensure that Canadian arts and culture remains a powerful
contributor to the development of our creative society, our economic
diversity and future prosperity. (next
column)
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(continued)
It is one thing to review programs to make sure funding is there for
those who need it; it is quite another to scrap an entire program
because of an ideological aversion to a handful of ideas."
Sandra Cunningham, chairwoman of the Canadian Film and Television
Production Association, stated that, "We're not sure what message is
being sent because, seeing how quietly this news has been released, it
has surprised us all."
Canada's arts' sector fears the Harper government is prepared to slash
$50-million in cultural funding after discovering new cuts to federal
arts programs.
The following are only some of the programs in jeopardy in the last
seven days for $49.8 million: three programs (ending in March) that
benefit film, television and music $4.3 million
- PromArt & Trade-Routes $4.7 million & $9million respectively
(artist travel subsidy program)
- Canadian Arts & Heritage Sustainability Program $27.2 million
- Radio-Canada $4.7 million (New Media Research Networks Fund)
Further cuts effective in March: Canadian Independent Video Fund
$1.5million National Training Schools Program $2.5 million
Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada to administer Canadian Feature
Film & Access Program & Canadian Musical Memories Program $150,000 each
Cunningham said, "The video fund and training schools programs were
effective in giving starting filmmakers and producers of documentaries
the chance to raise their profiles at home and abroad." She also
pointed out that film is a $5-billion industry in Canada.
In a letter to its members yesterday, the Canadian Film and Television
Production Association reported, "... officials have confirmed that a
press release will not be issued by either the ministers of Canadian
Heritage or Foreign Affairs" detailing the cancellation of the three
film and TV programs, nor PromArt or TradeRoutes. "We would offer," the
letter continued, "that this communications strategy was specifically
intended to minimize negative reaction from industry stakeholders."
News of these various cuts has been dribbling out during the past month
with no formal announcements.
In the last federal budget, buried in the fine print, was a pledge to
"redirect all savings" from cuts to programs under the Canadian Heritage
Department into various programs related to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
All told, the government will take $61.9 million during the next two
years as part of its "strategic review" and sacrifice the arts for
athlete training programs and the torch relay.
According to Harper this past week, "It's all part of an "expenditure
management system" to ensure the government is spending on programs that
are the most effective."
According to a study this week by the Conference Board of Canada, in
conjunction with the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, Canada's
cultural sector generated $46 billion in 2007 or 3.6 per cent of the
country's gross domestic product (GDP) and,with indirect effects on
other sectors, culture actually accounts for $84.6 billion or 7.8 per
cent of the country's economy.
The two Provincial Culture Ministers in Ontario and Quebec are now
calling for reconsideration and arts groups in Quebec are set to protest
the cuts next week, something Mr. Harper should think about given how
concerned his party is to win seats in Quebec.
For the first time in Canadian memory, arts and culture may be a 'cause
celebre' in a federal campaign, but more importantly, perhaps this is
just another indication of why a minority government is so important,
given the leadership that exists. If Mr. Harper gains a majority, the
arts and culture and anything else he disagrees with, may very possibly
have the rug pulled out from underneath so quickly that no one will even
notice, until it's gone
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