Please, please read the full article that Ms. Atwood - the queen of Canada’s literary scene - wrote in yesterday’s Globe and Mail about the Conservative government’s cuts to the arts. Here’s an excerpt:

“Tuesday, (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) told us that some group called “ordinary people” didn’t care about something called “the arts.” His idea of “the arts” is a bunch of rich people gathering at galas whining about their grants.

Well, I can count the number of moderately rich writers who live in Canada on the fingers of one hand: I’m one of them, and I’m no Warren Buffett. I don’t whine about my grants because I don’t get any grants. I whine about other grants - grants for young people, that may help them to turn into me, and thus pay to the federal and provincial governments the kinds of taxes I pay, and cover off the salaries of such as Mr. Harper.”

Canadian national treasure, novelist Margaret Atwood. Image: imaginastore.com

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Playwright Wajdi Mouawad. Image: ledevoir.com

From Wajdi Mouawad, Governor General Award-winning Canadian playwright; Knight of the Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres, France; Artistic Director of French Theatre, The National Arts Centre of Canada.

Originally published in the Montreal paper Le Devoir.

Monsieur le premier ministre,

We are neighbours. We work across the street from one another. You are Prime Minister of the Parliament of Canada and I, across the way, am a writer, theatre director and Artistic Director of the French Theatre at the National Arts Centre (NAC). So, like you, I am an employee of the state, working for the Federal Government; in other words, we are colleagues.

Let me take advantage of this unique position, as one functionary to another, to chat with you about the elimination of some federal grants in the field of culture, something that your government recently undertook. Indeed, having followed this matter closely, I have arrived at a few conclusions that I would like to publicly share with you since, as I’m sure you will agree, this debate has become one of public interest….

Read the rest of the letter HERE.

The OLD Canadian twenty dollar bill. Image: members.shaw.ca

Did you know that if you look at the NEW Canadian twenty dollar bill - you’ll need a magnifying glass - you will read the following quote by French-Canadian author Gabrielle Roy (1908 - 1983):

Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?

Nous connaitrions-nous seulement un peu nous-memes, sans les arts?

At last night’s jam-packed town hall meeting, organized in response to the Stephen Harper’s Conservative government’s recent slashing of $62.06 million in Arts and Culture programs, there were several passionate speeches by Claire Hopkinson of the Toronto Arts Council, Susan Swan of the Writer’s Union and Lisa Fitzgibbons of the Documentary Organization of Canada, rising to a crescendo with a polished, fervent speech by writer and activist Naomi Klein.

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Illustration: Allen Crawford of Plankton Art Co. Image: timeout.com

A new report - done in collaboration with the federal government - argues for the importance of Canada’s arts:

Canada’s arts community has been given a big boost in its fight against government funding cutbacks in a form of an new economic report arguing that culture is a major contributor to national wealth and prestige.

The 60-page study from the Conference Board of Canada, a private-sector think-tank that did the study in collaboration with the federal government, argues that culture generated $84.6 billion in direct and indirect economic benefits last year, or 7.4 per cent of total gross domestic product.

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Liberal leader Stephane Dion - a man who understands the importance of culture..we hope.
Image: voiceofcanada.files.wordpress.com

Liberal party leader Stephane Dion has finally responded to the unbelievable Conservative party cuts to cultural programs:

“Harper seems to not understand that we need to be stimulating those programs. We must encourage different arts and culture…”

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Image: toothpastefordinner.com

1. HERE’S WHAT THEY’RE SAYING IN CALGARY:

Wait a minute. If our dynamic Canadian culture is in such demand all over the world, then surely the world will beat a path to its door and pay full freight to watch the likes of Les Grands Ballets, if not Holy F—.

Was this another story of our splendid arts community banding together to combat the heartless, uncultured Harper Conservatives?

Read the full article from the Calgary Herald HERE.

2. AND HERE’S WHAT THEY’RE SAYING OUT EAST:

With new cuts to culture and arts funding, the Conservative government is showing once again its complete disrespect toward our country’s cultural institutions and a flagrant lack of vision that is hurting our arts community and culture

The Conservatives are now showing clearly what they have in mind for Canada’s arts and culture. The lack of explanation for the cuts and the silence of the Heritage minister is unacceptable.

Read more HERE.

3. THE LIBERAL PARTY SPEAKS UP - FINALLY

Liberal Heritage critic Denis Coderre has criticized the government for not being forthcoming with information about cuts to a slew of arts-and-culture programs.

“A Liberal government … will reinstate all those programs and [Canadians] will have … a true structural vision of what culture should be for our country,” he said, in a telephone interview from his riding in Montreal.

More on Liberal plans in THIS Globe and Mail article.

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In case you missed it, here’s a link to the latest on the Canadian culture cuts - from today’s Globe and Mail:

“The Tories are committed to cutting $44.8-million in spending on arts and culture by April of 2010…”

Click HERE for an article that basically amounts to a long list of cultural programs to be cut.

Yesterday, VoCA spoke with curator Barbara Fischer, whose proposal of London-based artist Mark Lewis was selected as Canadian representative at next year’s Venice Biennale - arguably the most important and high-profile art biennale in the world.

Ms. Fischer expressed concern over the cuts and suggested that the future of Canada’s pavilion is in danger, since about one third of the money needed for the pavilion comes from government funding programs.

Nota bene: In 2001, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller won a coveted prize at Venice for their installation, The Paradise Institute, which helped to catapult them into the stratosphere of global contemporary artists.

This Globe and Mail article quotes Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner:

“Culture is an essential element of the identity of a nation and in that sense, will always have its unfailing support,”

And yet…

“The Stabilization Projects, to be shut down in April, were established in seven cities from Victoria to Charlottetown to provide financial and administrative support to arts organizations….”

“The department also plans to end its annual contributions of $300,000 to the A-V Presentation Trust, $1.5-million to the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund and $2.5-million to the National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector…”

Yes, it’s all good, Mr. Harper. Image: conservativehome.blogs.com

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, hitting the arts where it hurts. Boo.
Image: boontastic.com

VoCA finds it depressing - no, it’s deplorable - to think, that at a time when virtually EVERYONE not living under a rock recognizes the importance and value of the arts, from former British PM Tony Blair (Cool Britannia, anyone?) to Toronto’s mayor David Miller (Nuit Blanche, Luminato…) to the late Ken Thompson (who gifted so many wonderful pieces to the AGO), to the thousands annually who crowd the streets at Canada’s arts festivals in every major city of the country…

…that our Prime Minister still doesn’t get it.

From Simon Houpt’s article in today’s Globe and Mail:

“Late on Friday, while attention was focused on the DFAIT cut, the government quietly said it was also ending Trade Routes, a $9-million program run by Heritage Canada to help artists take their work abroad.”

“It’s hard to overstate how low a profile Canada has abroad. If that’s the way the government wants it, that’s their decision.

But if we want our voice to have influence in the rest of the world, to be the moral beacon we believe it is, that requires marketing Brand Canada. Sending artists and writers abroad is an integral part of that marketing that happens to be extremely cost-effective…”

Read the full article HERE.

Read the full Canadian Press release HERE, and copied below.
VoCA warns that the Harper Government is spinning the issues, trying to deflect attention and hoping you won’t notice the dramatic cuts to the arts.

VoCA has noticed, and we don’t like it. We urge you to make your pro-culture vote count in the next election.

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The Works Art & Design Festival, Edmonton

Friday June 20 – July 2, 2008

This free, city-wide arts festival, sponsored in part by the city, the province and Canadian Heritage, sees over 400 artist’s work showcased in 28 sites housing 44 exhibitions.

The original Fantastic Planet poster. Image: aquabooks.ca

Highlights include:

-The film Fantastic Planet (Click HERE for more on the 1973 Sci-Fi film).

-Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara’s brilliant documentary on Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi in the Citadel Theatre complex Click HERE to watch some of the film.

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