Artful questions

As my Star colleague Martin Knelman points out in his two most recent columns (here and here), the arts are getting short shrift this election.

Last go-round, the cultural community, which knows that a Conservative government won't be big on funding and supporting foo-foo frills such as opera, ballet, painters, actors, writers, musicians, producers, and last but not least, the dreaded CBC, rallied round with a ''Stop Harper'' campaign. I don't know if it was effective, but it was galvanizing. This time, except for the Star and, to a lesser extent, CBC, the arts issue doesn't even seem to be on the table. That despite the tens of thousands of Canadians the sector employs, the $39 billion it contributes to our GDP  (more than the agriculture, forestry, mining and oil and gas sectors COMBINED according to arts groups), and what a tourism draw it can be (jazz fests, comedy fests, movie fests etc.)

Of course, most people in the sector are in Toronto and Montreal. So why should the Conservatives pay any attention? But are the other parties any of better?

Not according to Vote Arts, a website which points out how you can take some action.

If you have a $20 bill, check out the back. There you'll find a quote from Gabrielle Roy:

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

UPPITY DATE: Some people in the comments section have asked for sources on the figures. I was told that they stem from a speech by Heritage minister Liza Frulla. But I can't find the speech. Instead, I found confirmation for the $39 billion in this StatsCan document for 2002. As for the other sectors, well, it looks like agriculture, forestry, mining and oil and gas add up to $60 billion in 2003 -- although that figure includes hunting and fishing.

Incidentally, the culture sector employs more than half a million Canadians. None of whom know how to add. My bad for citing the news release without checking.

Comments

[Eddie]

A $20 bill and a magnifying glass will tell you all you need to know about support for the arts in Canada.

[Mach Stelmacher]

I think the Conservatives must be wearing
-opera glasses- reading numbers as they lead up to announce their projected budget spending before the 23rd.

Maybe they should be wearing them at the pulpit once they get around to doing so.

At least that will give them a good enough reason to justify their implausible projections. Looks good myopically stared at on paper (all blurry that way) but farther away looks distinctly abysmal on the happiness meter for Canada.

[Paul O]

All I find on the $20 is a Common Loon.

But why do you suggest that people who can barely afford to cover their monthly food, rent, and utilities, should be forced to pay for Opera and Ballet?

[Guido]

The quote says:

"Can we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?"

not

"Can we get a shit load of public funds to support art that is then used to thrust narrow political and social ideologies upon others?"

If art truly reaches people on a personal level, get them to personally contribute!

In the next decade, thanks to dying boomers, billions of inheritance dollars will be transferred from one generation to the next. Mine that vein by outreach and tax incentives.

Why does it always have to be the public teat? Huh, Z?

This military funds v Moliere ACRTA chant that rears its ugly head a few days before every election is plain old. Dying, much like the boomers.

[Darwin O'Connor]

The NDP happed to have a press release on this topic today: http://www.ndp.ca/page/3053

[Antonia Z.]

THIS JUST IN!!

January 12, 2006

NDP PLATFORM GETS RESULTS FOR ARTISTS, Includes support for Canada Council,
film and television industries

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 12, 2005) - The NDP Platform includes
measures to get results for artists, answering yesterday's call by Canadian
actors for parties to put forward their positions on arts and culture.

"New Democrats have always been strong supporters of public broadcasting, of
film and television, of the arts, and above all, of artists," said NDP Leader
Jack Layton. "Our plan is about focused, targeted steps to support creative
people and to make sure Canadians see themselves in our culture."

/T/

The NDP platform gets results for arts and artists by:

- Introducing fair tax treatment for artists through tax averaging
and exemption of the first $30,000 copyright and certain royalty
income.
- Providing increased funding for the Canada Council for the support
of artists.
- Directing the CRTC to require clear, binding, monitored and
enforced performance standards for broadcasters, including a
significant increase in the production and broadcast of Canadian
drama.
- Ensuring that Canadian television networks remain Canadian owned.
- Providing sustained funding for the Canadian Television Fund and
Telefilm Canada.
- Enhancing federal film incentives to encourage film and television
production and working with film distributors on a strategy to
increase distribution of Canadian films.

/T/

The platform includes funding of $600 million over four years in support of
artists and the arts. The NDP Platform, Getting Results for People, and issue
backgrounders are available at www.ndp.ca.

- 30 -

[Dana]

Won't it be nice when art is just something else 20 something idiots can just, like, buy, like, at the corner.

Like, when Guido goes, like, the Moliere chant and then goes, like, the dying boomers.

Like, that's art.

[Heather Redfern]

The arts don't suck off the public teat. They are a revenue generator for the public purse both in terms of tax revenue generated and in terms of economic impact. For example the Stratford Festival delivers $56 million in tax revenue for a total government investment of $1.5 million. That is a great ROI. Increasing funding to the Canada Council by $5 per Canadian is an investment not a handout.

We define ourselves as Canadians to the world through our arts and culture. The arts are central to our idenity and our sovereignty.

[Heather Redfern]

The National was doing a story on the arts and the election that was supposed to run last night. They cancelled all their interviews and reassigned the reporter to a story on Karla Homolka. So much for what's important to the country!

[Micheline McKay]

The arts provide a transformative balm to the challenges and tribulations we face both individually and as a country. This election has talked about a lot of specifics, many as responses to profound social problems. I'll be encouraged when we talk about the human spirit, and what we collectively have to do as a country to create the civil and engaged place we all aspire to.

The arts can play a central role in achieving that. Too many Canadians take for granted that we turn to the arts for understanding, celebration and consolation. In many ways, they transform us emotionally and intellectully, whether it be street theatre, folk art or a major performance. Many just expect them to be there taking for granted the passion and commitment artists and arts organizations invest -- primarily of themselves -- in making them possible. Let's hope this changes.

[Jim Jones]

I'm really going to enjoy the auctioning off of the CBC Network when the Tories get in power. Canadian Content Laws? Gone. Arts Funding? Gone. CBC? Gone. Ownership restrictions? Gone (Hello Rupert Murdoch)

First chance the Tories get they will snuff out their "enemy."

[Tyler]

I've got serious doubts about the arts being a more valuable contributor to the Canadian GDP than the the agriculture, forestry, mining and oil and gas sectors. I'll leave that for a moment though.

Heather Redfern says that the Stratford Festival generates $56MM in government revenue. Is there a source for this? That figure seems ridiculously high, even before I start asking about how much of it is economic activity that would have otherwise occurred. How much of this is just through discretionary dollars that would have otherwise been spent, albeit possibly in a different part of the country?

This really needs a source.

[Maureen O'Donnell]

Some of those who responded to your arts posting don't seem to know the facts:

1) Canada’s cultural sector contributes more than $39 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product, more than the agriculture, forestry, mining and oil and gas sectors combined

2) 96 per cent of Canadians believe arts education is essential for their kids,

3) More Canadians buy tickets to performing arts events than to a hockey games

4) 93 percent of Canadians believe that arts activities contribute to the vitality of their communities

5) 91 percent of Canadians believe that the arts define Canada’s identity

5) Two thirds of all international tourists to Canada participate in a cultural activity

6) In 2001 36 percent of Canadian households, including a sixth of the very poorest ones, spent $815 million to attend live performing arts events

Canadians not only care about the arts, they make their living from the arts, they take their children to the arts and they are proud to present them as an experssion of our wealth to tourists.

No, we could never know each other without the arts.

[Tyler]

Sounds to me like it's the hockey teams who need the subsidies and not the arts-I had no idea that you guys were rolling in it to such a large degree. I'm guessing that the Karen Kains and Rick Mercers of the world must have pulled in the type of scratch that Mats Sundin can only dream about.

I'll say it again-does anyone have sources for the figures that they're citing, particularly in relation to the effect of the arts on Canada's GDP and of Stratford on the Canadian economy?

Without the sources, this just sounds like complaining.

[Tyler]

Thanks for updating with the correct information.

Not only that, but if you actually read the report, you see that the "cultural" sector includes such things as newspapers. The actual sectors that I suspect many of the people here are dependent on are significantly less vibrant-76% of that $39 billion is for newspapers, broadcasting, film industry and advertising. These sectors, which are dominated by for profit companies, employ the majority of those employed in this sector as well, according to the report.

The rest of the contribution to GDP and employment comes from performing arts, visual arts, libraries, design, sound recording and music publishing, heritage (whatever the hell that is), architecture, photography and festivals.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the provision of sources for the comments made by Maureen and Heather.

[Antonia Z.]

Maybe Tyler -- but without our newspapers, TV, comics, theatre etc., we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Canada and the U.S.

Which is what many Conservatives want, isn't it?

[Paul O]

"... we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Canada and the U.S. Which is what many Conservatives want, isn't it?"

I can only speak for myself, but as a conservative, **** No!

Such a comment makes me furious, but I'll let go of further response for tonight.