An issue that sometimes goes forgotten in election season is the arts. Sometimes it can be superseded by a focus on the economy, health care, or the environment. Here is where we can clear things up for you.
On the week of Sept. 22, the Liberal Party released their cultural platform which outlined concerns in funding for the Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada/National Film Board, and international culture promotion.
“Under a new Liberal government, funding for the Canada Council for the Arts will double, from $180 million to $360 million,” said Catherine McKenna, the Liberal candidate for Ottawa Centre. “The arts play an important role in enriching lives in Ottawa Centre and bringing tourists to our city. They also help build vibrant communities and contribute to our economy; simply put, the arts matter.”
Conservative Party candidate Damian Konstantinakos also stated a belief in the importance of the arts to our society.
“I support the arts . . . this is a huge industry in Ottawa and in Canada — 640,000 jobs and $450 billion added to the economy,” Konstantinakos said. “We’re working with the volunteer and charitable sectors to find diverse ways to fund the arts through such measures as the Canada Cultural Investment Fund.”
Konstantinakos said the Conservatives “didn’t touch the funding for the Canada Council,” adding that with the release of their cultural platform on Oct. 9, the party wants to “make it easier for benefactors to help sponsor the arts.”
The New Democratic Party’s (NDP) position states that the arts and culture sector is vital to our collective economy.
“Supporting the arts is the right thing to do, and it is also the smart thing to do,” according to Ottawa Centre candidate Paul Dewar. Its goal is to work with artists and cultural workers to benefit the Canadian society.
“I’m personally committed to being a strong voice of support for arts and culture in Ottawa Centre,” Dewar said. “We’ll reinvest in institutions like the Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board, to stimulate the production of quality Canadian content.”
Dewar also commented that the NDP hosted “a public forum on the arts that drew over 150 participants from across our community, and produced a report with recommendations to [the] government.”
Regardless of which political party comes out victorious, the arts and culture sector will be affected on Oct. 19.
