Parties Talk Arts and Culture in National Debate
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On September 12, candidates from the major national parties got down to brass tacks on arts and culture in a debate hosted on CPAC by the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The debate took place in French, with English translation available. Click the image above to watch, or click here.
In the debate moderated by Catherine Perrin of Radio-Canada, the five participants — Alexandre Boulerice, NDP; Martin Champoux, Bloc Québécois; Mathieu Goyette, Green; Steven Guilbeault, Liberal Minister of Canadian Heritage; and Steve Shanahan, Conservative — discussed questions on arts, culture and heritage on a national scale. They typically gave answers consistent with their parties’ platforms, which you can find at our ArtsVote BC website.
Among the subjects discussed:
How do we regulate web giants like YouTube and Netflix, while also harnessing their power to disseminate Canadian content? This included discussion around algorithms, and the promotion of French and Indigenous language content.
What changes are needed around reforming copyright laws to modernize them for a digital era? How do we compensate creators for their works?
Among national organizations like CBC/Radio-Canada, the National Film Board, and the Canada Council for the Arts, which should be the greatest priority for funding?
How should employment insurance be reformed to support independent arts workers?
How can museums and heritage organizations be supported?
Candidates seemed unified in their praise for the cultural sector as both an economic engine and essential to human expression. Said the NDP’s Boulerice, “Culture makes our experience as humans worthwhile through love and friendship. It’s the extra special side of our existence, and we don’t want to consider culture just as an economic factor.”
Liberal Minister Guilbeault agreed, emphasizing the importance of the cultural sector during the COVID-19 pandemic: “We understood how important culture was in our lives, because that’s just about the only thing we had left during the pandemic. [Artists] made us dream, and they enchanted us with their music and their performances, and they saved our souls during this very difficult period.”
In his closing statements, Conservative Shanahan said, “We want Canadians to have the possibility of self expression… and who’s better positioned to tell their own stories than the artists and crafts workers of Canada?” He ended with an entreaty to viewers: “Buy a ticket for a cultural activity, please.”
