CCA BULLETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA

THE CCA 's POST- ELEC TION ANALYSIS

Ottawa , June 29th, 2004 - Proving political pollsters and pundits wrong - Canada now has a minority Liberal government.   What does this mean for the cultural sector?

The Liberal Party has proved in the past to have a fair understanding of how the cultural sector works, and the Department of Canadian Heritage has developed a set of programmes to support the basic financial needs of the sector and the cultural needs of Canadians.   With a minority government, the Canadian Conference of the Arts looks to the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to hold the Liberals' feet to the fire on issues relating to artists and the cultural sector.

The CCA calls on the new Liberal government, under Prime Minister Paul Martin, to

•  Appoint a Minister of Canadian Heritage with knowledge of, and experience in, the arts and cultural sector.

•  Renew the funding envelope for the Department of Canadian Heritage, originally called “Tomorrow Starts Today”, for a 5 year period, and ensure this money becomes a permanent part of the Department's ongoing budget.   This renewal needs to happen as soon as possible if Canada 's arts, cultural, and heritage organizations and events are to survive and thrive!

•  Attention needs to be paid immediately to the question of maintaining foreign ownership restrictions in our cultural industries.   With the Standing Committees of Canadian Heritage and Industry at loggerheads over the question, a resolution is essential.   Cultural organizations and artists across Canada have been vocal on this issue: Canada is not for sale!

•  Examine the Liberal's stand with regard to Bill C-12 and freedom of expression. Despite the furore over child pornography during the last few weeks of the federal election campaign, cooler heads should prevail.   Many recent editorials (National Post, Globe and M ail, Toronto Star) clearly demonstrated there is absolutely no link between child pornography and the legal defence of “ artistic merit ” , and it is shameful and damaging to the cultural sector to suggest there is.   The Bill must not be returned to the House unless and until the clause promoting “public good” is amended to protect Canada 's young persons from actual harm and exploitation without infringing on the freedom to create.

•  Continue the government's move towards instituting a convention to exclude culture from all international trade treaties.   This was expressed as a goal for the Liberals in the last Speech from the Throne and CCA looks to the new government to keep this promise.

NEW FACES AND OLD

Several familiar faces will be back in Ottawa , as well as a few new ones.   Still, others will not be returning to the House of Commons this fall.   Some of those coming to Parliament who have a particular interest in, and knowledge of, the arts and cultural sector include the following, listed here geographically from East to West::

Elected

Scott Simms (Avalon, NL – Lib)

• Broadcaster, journalist, interest in drama

Loyola Hearn ( St John's South, NL – Con)

• Former culture critic for the Progressive Conservative Party

Andy Scott ( Fredericton , NB – Lib)

• Strong arts and culture supporter

Liza Frulla (Jeanne Le Ber, QC – Lib)

• Former provincial Minister of Culture in Québec

Francis Scarpaleggia (Lac-Saint-Jean, QC – Lib)

• Previously Executive Assistant to Clifford Lincoln, long time chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage

Caroline St-Hilaire (Longueuil, QC – BQ)

• Previously culture critic for the Bloc Québécois

Marlene Jennings (Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Lachine, QC – Lib)

• Has an interest in the diversity treaty and travelled with former Minister Sheila Copps to meetings of the International Network on Cultural Policy (the ministerial counterpart of the International Network for Cultural Diversity)

Christiane Gagnon (Quebec, QC – BQ)

• Bloc Québécois culture critic prior to the election

John Godfrey (Don Valley West, ON – Lib)

Arts supporter, Paul Martin's parliamentary secretary for cities/communities in the last session

Peter Milliken ( Kingston and the Islands , ON – Lib)             

• Strong arts and culture supporter

Ed Broadbent ( Ottawa Centre, ON – NDP)

• Outspoken arts supporter in his community

Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa-Vanier, ON – Lib)

• Former parliamentary secretary to Sheila Copps as Minister of Canadian Heritage

Sam Bulte ( Parkdale-High Park , ON – Lib)

• Former parliamentary secretary to Sheila Copps as Minister of Canadian Heritage, active on trade and culture issues, and a strong arts and culture supporter

Bill Graham ( Toronto Centre, ON – Lib)

• Arts supporter in a riding chock full of arts activity

Jack Layton ( Toronto-Danforth , ON – NDP)

• Former Chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, advocate against foreign ownership in our cultural industries

Maurizio Bevilacqua ( Vaughan , ON – Lib)

• As a former chair of the Standing Committee on Finance, demonstrated support for arts and culture

Ken Dryden ( York Centre, ON – Lib)

• Author, and education advocate

Judy Wasylycia-Leis ( Winnipeg North, MB – NDP)

As a member of the Standing Committee on Finance, demonstrated strong support for arts and culture

Ralph Goodale ( Wascana , SK – Lib)

• As former Minister of Finance, was sympathetic to a number of cultural issues

Rahim J af fer ( Edmonton-Strathcona , AB – Con)

• As a member of the Standing Committee on Finance, was sympathetic to a number of cultural issues

Jim Abbott ( Kootenay-Columbia , BC – Con)

• Conservative culture critic before the election; former culture critic for the Canadian Alliance party, and prior to that, for the Reform party

Libby Davies (Vancouver East, BC – NDP)

Outspoken arts and culture supporter in her community

Not elected

Hélène Chalifour Scherrer (Louis-Hébert, QC – Lib)

• Minister of Canadian Heritage in the previous parliamentary session

Olivia Chow ( Trinity-Spadina , ON – NDP)

• A strong advocate for arts and culture as City of Toronto Councillor

Glen Murray (Charleswood-St James , MB – Lib)

• A strong advocate for arts and culture as Mayor of Winnipeg

Dick Proctor (Palliser, SK – NDP)

• Was sympathetic to a number of cultural issues, including freedom of expression

Lorne Nystrom (Regina-Qu'Appelle, SK – NDP)

• Was sympathetic to a number of cultural issues, including freedom of expression

Ian Waddell ( Vancouver Kingsway, BC – NDP)

• a former provincial Minister of Culture in British Columbia

For more information:

Kevin Desjardins

Communications and Public Relations Manager

(613) 238 3561 ext.11

Fax (613) 238 4849

info@ccarts.ca

www.ccarts.ca

33/04

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