It’s no secret, arts and culture are not on the highest priority of politicians. During the campaign trails, issues like foreign policies, the Trans Pacific Partnership, Bill C-51, and the niqab were hot issues that people were talking about. Canadian arts is not usually a big topic for federal elections because so much of Canadians’ concerns regarding arts and culture are addressed in municipal and provincial elections.
In fact, when looking for different political parties’ stances on arts on a federal level, clear answers are difficult to find. The Canadian Arts Coalition, a collaborative, non-partisan organization that push for more financial support from the federal government, contacted the major parties that ran in the 2015 federal elections to get their stance on the arts and culture status of Canada. Three out of the four major parties responded.
Now that a Trudeau is back as prime minister, it’s time to reassess the party’s view on arts and culture.
The Liberal Party responded to Canadian Arts Coalition’s questionnaire, unlike their competitors, but with such vague answers, they might as well not have said anything.
Their 88 page platform provides a three page detailing of their plans to reinvest in culture and creative industry, insisting on reversing the budget cuts of Harper’s government to the Department of Canadian Heritage.
It includes:
- Invest $150 million in new annual funding for CBC/Radio Canada.
- This would essentially reverse the cuts made by Harper in 2012.
- Breakdown is detailed as: $75 million in 2016/17, $150 million in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/2020.
- Double investment in the Canada Council for the Arts to $360 million per year.
- It is currently sitting at $180 million, whereas the Canadian Council for the Arts is only asking for $300 million
- Breakdown is detailed as: $90 million in 2016/17, and $180 million annually in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20.
- Funding to Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board will be increased
- Breakdown is detailed as: $10 million in 2016/17, and $25 million annually in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20.
- Investments in social and cultural infrastructure to the tune of $6 billion over 4 years, and almost $20 billion over 10 years.
It’s difficult to say whether the direction of Canadian arts and culture will change under Trudeau, especially when looking back on previous administration and their views on the arts.
As Harper said in 2008, ordinary folks don’t care about the arts. In a 2008 re-election campaign stop in Saskatoon, Harper, who just cut the overall budget at the Department of Canadian Heritage by eight per cent, said “I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala […] all subsidized by taxpayers, claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough [..] I’m not sure that’s something that resonates with ordinary people.”
Galas and fashion shows might not justify overspending on a federal level, Canada is not so deep into an economic crisis to stop supporting the arts.
According to the Canadian Arts Coalition, the cultural sector generated approximately $25 billion in taxes for all levels of government in 2007, an estimated three times more than what was spent on culture by the government.
According to their findings, 87 per cent of Canadians believe that arts and culture help us express and define what it means to be Canadian, a direct reflection of the CBC mandate.
The 1991 Broadcasting Act states that the CBC should provide radio and television services that offer distinctively Canadian programming and reflects the languages, values, and cultural expressions of Canadians.
While funding for museums and performers is a great bonus, the biggest issue here is to support Canada’s distinct voice, the CBC.
Time will tell what will happen next.
Victoria Goldberg, Arts Editor
Featured illustration by Christopher Lai
