Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

Lost in translation

by kadyomalley on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 1:29pm - 85 Comments

Speaking with reporters following a campaign event in Saskatoon earlier today, Stephen Harper was asked, in English, about his government’s decision to cut funding for the arts:

[...]You know, I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the tv and see a gala of a bunch of people, you know, at a rich gala, all subsidized by the taxpayers, claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough when they know the subsidies have actually gone up, I’m not sure that’s something that resonates with ordinary people. Ordinary people understand we have to live within a budget. We have increased culture. We haven’t increased anybody’s budget without limit, so we’re not going to do this. I think this is a niche issue for some, but that’s my view [...]

Which, moments later, produced the following question, asked (and answered) in French:

Good afternoon, Mr. Harper. I was listening to you speak English earlier, and you said that artists do not attract much pity, when they wear long gowns at gala evenings. Could you perhaps repeat what you said in French, and do you believe that artists are spoiled, Mr. Harper?

HARPER: It’s always a mistake, I think, to generalize about any group [...]

Especially when counting on Francophone voters, some of whom may take great pride in seeing Quebec artists celebrated by their peers – provincial, national and international – even when it happens at a “rich gala”.

The rest of Harper’s response, during which he fails to answer the question about whether he believes artists are “spoiled” — possibly because he saw what happened to his Heritage Minister when she ventured down that path:

But, of course, as I have said a number of times, budgets for the arts went up by 8% during our mandate, and many Canadians did not get a wage increase of 8%. And I think that the vast majority of canadians understand that we have to be realistic, that we have to consider not only the demands being made by certain groups, but the entire economy, the entire budget, and the needs of all the population. And that is what this government is doing. This government has supported arts and culture, but it’s true that we did not increase them without limit. And that’s the reality for a government, and it’s the same thing with the other parties. If the other parties were in government, their policy would be the same, because the figures are a reality that you have to manage when you’re a government.

Tags: ahhhrts cuts, culture killers, knows what he likes, on the spot, saskatoon, Stephen Harper

More by kadyomalley

Wayne

We spend 3 Billion Dollars + a year on the Arts and Culture Federal Trough! the increase this year was decreased by 48 million so what is their problem – unbelieveable -
peimac

The argument should be whether or not Canadians acknowledged the art in dispute whether it be paintings, performances or films. There is an impression that much “art” isn’t received as something that we want when we wait for essential services. The cuts are meant to get art groups to cut the chafe. Art should be good before it gets public money.
Shenping

Just for the record, my boss is currently “jet-setting around the world”. Taxpayers will be on the hook for about $1,500, but he’s hoping to come back with about $25 million of European investment in “Canadian cultural industries”. A lot of the networking that went into the meetings he’s going to happened at gala events. The thing about gala events is that they get producers, distributors & investors all together under one roof.

And yes, we will get about a million dollar tax credit from this, if everything works out. That’s why the $25 million will be coming to Canada and not staying in Europe. The tax credit will then be invested into the distribution side. Nobody’s becoming a millionaire, but a few hundred people will have work for another six months.

Admittedly, we’re big enough that the $1,500 doesn’t make much of a difference. However, a lot of this is building off work done by some smaller producers who actually needed financial help & came back with anywhere from a few hundred thousand to a little over a million.

So, yes, taxpayers are helping us out. Not nearly as much as we’re paying back in taxes. I suppose we could get a bank loan to do the same thing, except, oops, I forgot, Canadian banks don’t deal with cultural industries. Especially if there are tax credits involved. It seems they don’t consider the current government to be a reliable credit risk. I wish I was making that last bit up. At least most of our investment comes from England & Europe, where the money people still believe in Canadian workers.
http://onebigumbrella.blogspot.com MK

The cuts are meant to get art groups to cut the chafe.

That’s not what was cut. The cuts were to eliminate programs that provided industry support – training programs for cultural workers, research and development programs, seed money and venture capital programs. All supports to promote work internationally, have been eliminated.

This “strategic review” happened without any input from cultural industries. And the 8% increase talked about so much – most of it was within the first year of this government and was money that actually was promised in the final year of the last Liberal budget. The funds from the cuts were diverted to the Olympic Torch relay. Since it also falls under Canadian Heritage, the government can still say there was an increase while the truth is that net funding to the arts segment has actually gone down.

I look at this and see a targeted approach to destroy our industry – an industry that supplies 7% to the nation’s GNP. Then characterizing these programs as wasteful when in fact they’ve been responsible for a great deal of revenue? That’s our problem.
Neil

Jet Fuel money for the four new C-17 heavy lift A/C in training mode………….
madeyoulook

The sense that an entire industry will just *poof* disappear because the government dropped its support by a fraction of a percent is either (a) so stupid as to defy any further reasonable commentary, (b) absolute proof that this bastard child industry will NEVER survive on its own, and deserves to be brought to the woodshed immediately, (c) both a and b. Discuss.
http://carnewsandviews.com jwl

myl

I think it’s mostly ‘a’ but some ‘b’ in that art-culture output would be reduced because ‘artists’ would have to get real jobs.

Further to your point a, I just found this in Tor Star from a couple of weeks ago:

“Ottawa’s $2.3 billion investment in culture brings an economic payoff of over $80 billion (according to the Conference Board of Canada).”

To suggest tweaking $2.3 billion budget will destroy $80 billion industry is obviously absurd. All that will happen is more middle class kids will have to get proper jobs and no longer be able to call themselves ‘artists’.
KRB

Heard a rep from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation on CBC Radio 1, and he said arts funding is up $400 million since Harper came to power, and that the $45 million in cuts are really $13-16 million of cuts that have ACTUALLY been announced, and the rest is just what the arts industry BELIEVES will be cut in the coming year!!!

I just love how we set up our various debate positions in Canada. It’s so surreal!
Sisyphus

We know where some artists and/or arts promoters are getting some of their money.
Where is The Canadian Taxpayers Federation getting their money? I’m a Canadian. I’m a taxpayer. They don’t represent me.
Anyway. If Wendy Crewson is upset, I’m upset.
Artster

Harper is being hoisted on the horns of his own I’ll-say-anything-to-get-a-majority hypocrisy. First he declares Quebec a “nation” to get some votes in Quebec and then he cuts arts funding and goes out of his way to further antagonize artists, clueless that, in Quebec, the “nation” is defined by its artistic culture. Brilliant, Stevie.

Reap what you sow now. The polls are already showing a decline for Tories in Quebec. Perfect.