“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 taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough when they know those subsidies have actually gone up – I’m not sure that’s something that resonates with ordinary people.” (Stephen Harper, Canadian Press, September 24, 2008)
The Facts:
In 2008, Stephen Harper cut $45 million in culture programs. Among the programs cut were:
• The Trade Routes and PromoArts programs, designed to help our artists perform abroad ($13.7 million)
• The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund ($1.5 million)
• The National Training Program for the Film and Video Sector ($2.5 million)
These programs were cut despite the artistic community’s broad consensus in support of their utility.
The Harper Conservatives also threatened CBC/Radio-Canada, delaying the 2009 renewal of the $60 million that the society has been receiving each year for programming activities.
The Harper Conservatives also abandoned the National Portrait Gallery project.
Without the mobilization of our artists throughout the country, Stephen Harper would have given government free rein to censor film and television projects it found morally offensive through Bill C-10.
