Canadian government slashes arts and culture funding yet again

Hope no one on stage wants to travel outside Canada

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada at Winnipeg’s Folklorama 2008

Source: www.pm.gc.ca

It seems bizarre to me that I have returned to a country that runs surpluses in its budget every year and still can’t find funding for Canadian arts and culture. Canada made a point of protecting its cultural industries in our trade agreements like NAFTA but the current Conservative government is slicing and dicing programs that promote and grow Canadian artists and art. On the CBC website this story outlined the cuts in program funding. I wrote in a previous blog post, Disturbing Legislation that I hoped the federal government of Canada didn’t have nefarious purposes in mind while trying to push through Bill C-10. Well, I think it is rather obvious that this government and its leadership does not see any point in the promotion of Canadian culture and artists who don’t represent a very narrow viewpoint. After living for almost seven years in the United States you would think that I wouldn’t be surprised by such antics but sadly my higher expectations for Canada are being worn down by the current federal government. I am writing my MP today telling them that this continuous barrage of cuts only serves to weaken us a country and diminishes our international standing rather than protecting it.