Canadian party profiles and a window
of opportunity for the visual arts.
by Jack Moore, CA.
Jack Moore has been a practising Chartered Accountant in Toronto and
areas of southern Ontario for 40 years. He has been a consultant/hand-holder
to small businesses including two years as the comptroller of The Institute
of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ugh). He also spent two years as vice-president
and general manager of a small national manufacturer/retailer.
Let's talk about the run-up to the June 2 national election in Canada.
The taxpayers of Canada pay for the election, including significant financing
to the vast majority of the candidates. The arts should be very aware of
how the parties differ and how the results may impact on their future.
The liberals (the self-designated rightful rulers of the universe in
Canada), by virtue of their invasive and big government policies, try to
look after every facet of the existence of every person and business from
birth to death. They tax and spend in order to implement their policies.
Taxes are increased constantly by either obvious or surreptitious means.
Spending is directed mainly to special interest groups who and which are
believed to be able to deliver votes to the party at election time. The
largest special interest group in Canada is the provinces. The party is
run mainly by Canadians of French descent. The elected members do not formulate
policy: that is the perogative of the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO).
The elected members are told how to vote for the policies formulated for
them. Purgatory is the penalty of sin. Sin is having a mind of your own.
The party leader is a Canadian of French descent. The uniform is a dark
blue suit with a red tie.
The progressive conservatives (the want-to-be rightful rulers of the
universe of Canada) are different from the liberals only in that they wear
either a pink or blue tie; the rest is exactly the same. The ones in blue
seriously believe that they tax and spend less.
The bloc is a regional party from Quebec. They do not have a national
policy. They represent the largest special interest group in that province.
They want to be the rightful rulers in the universe of Quebec and have
the rest of Canada pay for it. Also they want all of the privileges of
being Canadian at the same time but none of the responsibilities. They
are the only honest politicians in Canada (except for those in power in
Ontario, but that is another story). They do not have a noticeable uniform.
The reformers are considered to be a regional party from western Canada.
They were runners-up in over half of the Ontario ridings in the last election.
They preach a belief in a smaller and non-invasive government, policies
to be determined by the elected members, those members to be accountable
to their electors (not the PMO), more direct powers to the provinces, Quebecers
are Canadians first and French second, Quebec may leave confederation if
the majority of the residents so wish but they must pay the proper price,
lower taxes at the federal level, victims of crime are entitled to the
same respect and concern that the criminals receive and people are to be
responsible for their own actions. They do not support special interest
groups. They do not have a noticeable uniform.
The non-democratic party (NDP) are satisfied to have the Canadian taxpayers
give them the opportunity every four or five years to espouse their political
philosophies while knowing full well that only radicals like themselves
will vote for them. The do not ever expect to form a government but are
content to try to be the conscience of the population: they believe that
they have much higher morals than the rest of us. However, they are really
only more selfish. They believe that all businesses and taxpayers are bad
except if they are union members or social workers. The party has the answers
to all the questions and will implement them whether you like it or not.
If the methods didn't work then it is someone else's fault: usually that
business and taxpayer group. In their socialist world, true believers do
not pay taxes: they only derive benefits. When the voters lose their patience
with the liberals and the progressive conservatives, both at the same time,
they tend to elect either a group with no majority or the NDP with a majority.
If the NDP doesn't conform then they are expelled soon after to the wasteland
of non-party standing, where they now reside as do the ones in the pink
and blue ties. The NDP uniform is usually a blue collar and dirty hands.
Some of their leaders often use bad language. They seldom wear suits so
they don't have ties.
There may be other parties from time to time from various regions.
They do not count.
The liberals are expected to win this current election. They may not
have an absolute majority of the seats in parliament. If they form a minority
government, then they will probably couple with a socialist group as they
have in the past. Their first choice will be the NDP; the second will be
the blocs.
Special interest groups will be even more prevalent and powerful during
the next four or five years than they have been in the past because all
parties will be catering to them for votes in the election which will follow.
The arts as a group have a window of opportunity during the life of the
next government to extract money and support to help to learn how to be
self sufficient and responsible for their own actions. If they pass up
this chance then the future will surely be even more difficult and disappointing
than the present.
Art Business Magazine http://www.culturenet.ca/artbusiness