The assembled candidates made heartfelt affirmations about the value of culture. But, at the end of the evening, no audience member left with a clear sense of where all the parties stood. In fact, voices that were absent from the debate, particularly the Conservative no-show, left many people more concerned.

The Liberals
The Liberal spokesperson for the night was Sam (Sarmite) Bulte. Since 1997, she has served as an MP for the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park. Coming from a background in the Toronto theatre scene, she has, judging by her performance, been a solid knowledgeable advocate for the arts in Ottawa. She was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage from 2000 to 2003 and is currently Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Ms. Bulte was adept during the meeting at putting a good spin on the Liberal record over the last few years. After years of Liberal cuts and stagnation she could boast of a 59 per cent increase in Canada Council funding over the last seven years; as well as re-instatement of the Tomorrow Starts Today program of matching funds for non-profit arts organizations. When asked about the light treatment of cultural issues in the Liberal platform, she pointed to the inclusion of culture in the Throne Speech and the Budget. She also pointed to the revamping of copyright legislation that is underway, and the positive effect that will have for artists.

Documentary filmmaker Barri Cohen demanded to know why the Liberals had taken no action on recommendations tabled in a June 2003 parliamentary report on cultural sovereignty. Governments are supposed to reply within five months. Ms. Bulte tried to assure Cohen and the audience that the Liberals would respond to the comprehensive 1000 page report. It is not a stretch to conclude, however, that the lack of Liberal response indicates a worrisome battle being waged between factions within the Liberal party.

On the theme of Liberal infighting, Ms. Bulte showed a feisty willingness to disagree with her Liberal colleagues in the Industry Committee. They are considering changes to the rules of media concentration and foreign ownership -- which she objects to. To back up her objections she pointed to the Liberal promise to take a leadership role in UNESCO's International Convention on Cultural Diversity -- an agreement-in-the-making aimed at protecting cultural sovereignty in the arts and media.

On the matter of the child pornography legislation of Bill C-12, Ms. Bulte said she voted for the NDP amendment proposal to put back the "artistic merit" clause. She also stated clearly that she would side with motions advocated by the Bloc for massive funding increases to the Canada Council.

Ms. Bulte came across, personally, as a positive force for culture in the Liberal party and she could make a case that culture has been fairing somewhat better in the latter years of the Liberal government. But, she could not allay doubts about the factional pressures within the Liberals that push it away from building cultural support. She did encourage the cultural community to be active advocates in the debates over cultural policy.

The NDP
Peter Tabuns, the Beaches East York candidate for the NDP, acknowledged that cultural issues and policy were not his strong suit. His career in politics has encompassed seven years as a Toronto City   Councillor and most recently four years as the head of Green Peace Canada. He then went on through the evening to show a solid basic grasp of cultural issues and a sense of the challenges involved in forging change. Tabuns attributed a good deal of his awareness of cultural issues to the fact that his partner works in theatre.

Tabuns framed his remarks by observing that the Canadian reality of being a neighbour to the US means, "we cannot simply leave culture to the marketplace."  He advocated against concentration and for broad ownership within the media industries.   He also stood by NDP promises for strong support of public broadcasting and public arts funding.

On the issue of Bill C-12 and the removal of the "artistic merit" defense in alleged cases of child pornography, Tabuns could say without hesitation that he and the NDP were opposed to the Bill.

At the end of the meeting Tabuns left the impression that he could personally be a good advocate for the arts in Parliament. He was able to broadly represent the NDP positions on cultural issues that struck a chord with the audience. He wasn't, however, able to sustain a critical debate with his Liberal counterpart on the panel. That was partly because he was out of his depth -- and largely due to Ms. Bulte's willingness to morph into positions that went beyond Liberal policy.

The Green Party
For a few hours on Wednesday night, the word Green had a meaning that the party of environmental concerns hopes it will outgrow. Mark Vitala, the Green Party candidate for Trinity-Spadina, made a disclaimer at the outset, stating he was not very well versed in cultural issues. Unlike Tabuns, who made a similar claim, Vitala told the truth.

He does have working experience in the media as a music program host at CIUT, and a music impresario of sorts. But, his knowledge of the cultural scenes was narrow and his representation of his own party's policies was very thin. That said, he added a note of humorous unpredictability to the evening.

Based on Vitala's   performance, people shouldn't vote Green if their primary concerns are cultural. However, with new federal funding for parties based on votes garnered in elections, the Greens may have enough money to present credible positions on the arts next time.

Empty Chairs Spoke Volumes

The Bloc
As mentioned earlier, not all parties were represented at the culture debate in Toronto. The Bloc Québecois were unable to send a representative on short notice. It's too bad they weren't present because their positions on the arts have frequently been among the most progressive in the country. They have supported income tax / copyright revisions in parliament that, if passed, would provide significant benefit for artists. They have also, not surprisingly, taken an aggressive stand on cultural sovereignty and media ownership. Most importantly to visual artists and artist-run organizations, the Bloc has supported a call from Quebec-based artists for the doubling of Canada Council funding to $300 million per year. Although absent from Wednesday's event the Bloc has presented the most detailed platform of strong support for arts and culture.

The Conservatives
There was another empty chair at the meeting. It was a void that occupied the thoughts of all in attendance. Two of the event organizers, Judy Wolfe and Marc Glassman, explained to the audience that they had invited six Conservative candidates in an effort to get someone to take a place at the table. They also sought help from the Conservatives' national office to get participation, but to no avail.

What are we to think? People who want to know where the Stephen Harper Conservatives stand on culture will have difficulty finding any reference to culture anywhere in their platform. We are left to look between the lines, at inferences concerning other issues, and at the record of the now defunct PCs and Alliance.

In the Leaders' Debate the night before, Harper sent a chill up the spine of artists across the country. Under attack about his social conservative agenda, he took a stand and vowed to invoke the not-withstanding clause to override the Charter rights protecting freedom of expression. He was plumbing voters' fears on a hot-button issue. Specifically, he was targeting the "artistic merit" defense in cases where representations of children and sexuality are alleged to be pornographic. After decades of resisting censorship, artists know how arbitrary and damaging ill-considered laws can be to individuals and our culture at large.   Should the Harper Conservatives win a majority victory in the election, his solemn promise will pose a real danger to cultural communities.

The Conservative Party's response when questioned by the CCA about the absence of a cultural vision in their platform has been to say: "no mention in the platform indicates status quo." In other words, don't worry -- if we don't say we're going to cut the Canada Council we won't. However, there is an over-arching promise in their platform to submit all federal granting programs to an expedited audit. When one situates that audit alongside their promises to massively cut taxes you begin to get worried -- especially when they are committing to significant funding increases for law and order, the military and healthcare.

The Conservatives are on the record with positions and comments that do raise real concerns. A proposed review and subsequent overhauling of the CRTC will likely pose dangers to cultural sovereignty. Institutions like the CBC have been the target of Alliance-Tory sniping for years. If Harper takes power, it would come as no surprise if the CBC got a cost-cutting makeover.

In conclusion
The dismay among Canada's arts communities over the near total absence of cultural issues in this year's federal election is turning into alarm. With less than two weeks to go before voting day there is a growing realization that our cultural environment is in jeopardy. The meeting at the Gladstone Hotel underscored this. Flawed as they are, the current systems of support will face dangerous uncertainty if Harper's Conservatives should win majority power. Even if the election-day outcome is a minority government, led by either Harper or Paul Martin's Liberals, the prospects for Canadian culture will still be put in doubt. Canadian culture and the people who work within it are entering uncertain times. As we approach the final days of this campaign there is clearly an increased need for activism on cultural issues. That need will no doubt continue beyond June 28th.


Jim Miller is a visual artist and writer who has exhibited widely in Canada and internationally. Politics and social commentary has always figured in his work. In recent years he and his partner Roz Owen have been publishing calendars that chronicle the meanness and ineptitude of government (the Calendar of Harrisees, the Calendar of Common Sense). During this election he has launched a political cartoon called "The ADANAC REPORT".

Web link http://www.harrisees.net.

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About the event
Where's Culture this Election? at the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen W. at Gladstone) on Wednesday, June 16, 8:30 pm and find out.

Host
Jowi Taylor

Moderator
Marc Glassman

Politicans
LIBERAL - Sarmite Bulte, MP Parkdale-High Park
NDP - Peter Tabuns, Beaches East York
GREEN - Mark Viitala, Trinity-Spadina

Arts Panalelists
Jack Blum, Writers' Guild of Canada
Barri Cohen, Documentary Organization of Canada
Sturla Gunnarsson, Director's Guild of Canada
Sally Lee, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

Organized by the Toronto Media-Festivals Network and cosponsored by Canadian Conference for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council Foundation and Artist Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario.

Event organized by Jowi Taylor, Judy Wolfe and Marc Glassman.

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Next debate: Tuesday 22 June 2004 at Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 7:30pm. For details, visit http://www.ccarts.ca/eng/01new/electioneventhalifax.htm

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Federal Election - Culture links
We've selected the following links as the most timely and direct sources of election information relating to Canadian Culture.

Canadian Conference of the Arts - Party platform analysis
http://www.ccarts.ca/eng/01new/electionmatrix.htm
The CCA, as our national arts advocate  provides comprehensive analysis of cultural issues including report cards on each of of the political parties.

Arts News Canada - Election Links Sidebar
http://www.artsnews.ca/
Arts News Canada is a daily cross country compilation of articles on the arts. They have added a special election sidebar with links to many sources of information.

Toronto Arts Coalition - Toronto Candidates
http://www.torontoartscoalition.org/Elections2004-Feds.htm
The Toronto Arts Coalition provides information on every candidate in every riding in Toronto.

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ARCCO
P.O. Box 44026, Market Tower Lane Postal Outlet
141 Dundas Street, London, Ontario N6A 5S5
email: jewel.goodwyn@sympatico.ca