Heritage Minister encounters criticism on arts funding

A lot of criticism is being levelled at the culture component of the Conservative budget, but some of it is misdirected. People are concentrating on last year's news: the cuts to PromArt and Trade Routes. Yes, they were ill-advised cuts that were politically and ideologically motivated; yes, they were a slap in the face to working artists; but the Conservatives have received the message, in some regards, with the culture vote in November's election cutting their chance of forming a majority government.

While other sectors are receiving massive bailouts, the very profitable culture sector (7% of the GDP) is getting very little. There's only really $160 million of "new" money here: $100 million for "festivals" and $60 for infrastructure (with the bulk of the culture money in the budget going to television.) ACI is concerned that the numbers the government is releasing are not only misleading in terms of what will be spent, but also in terms of actual new money reaching the artists and organizations working on the ground. In short, there is no new money for the creation of art.

Further, they've somewhat broadened what they're defining as "culture" to include some questionable new categories. So the money for festivals could end up going to a soccer festival or a beer garden somewhere. Is this money really more about the APPEARANCE of funding the arts than helping art get created? It's highly visible outcomes make it look like the government is spending lavishly in the sector when all it's doing is providing places for photo ops.

There's also money for infrastructure, but it's unclear how this will be spent and why.

Depressingly, the $25 million in new money actually going to artists is actually only for foreign artists. While this might seem like a good way to promote cultural exchange and increase Canada's reputation internationally, it would easier to support this prize if it weren't at the expense of the funding of art on the ground here at home.