Canada's NDP

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October 30th, 2012

Conservative cuts spell the end of the Canadian Conference of the Arts

By eliminating all federal funding to the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the Conservatives have all but shut down this well known and effective institution which has long advance Canadian cultural politics.

“It’s a sad day for the Canadian cultural community”, said NDP Heritage Critic Pierre Nantel (Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher). “There is no doubt in my mind that the Conservatives are punishing CCA for being a strong voice for the cultural community against the government’s changes to copyright legislation. As incredible as this may seem in a free and democratic country like ours, today, after 67 years of representing Canadian artists, the CCA is paying the price.”

The CCA, which represents more than 400,000 artists and cultural professionals, led a united coalition of 80 cultural organizations from across Canada, asking for improvements to the Conservatives’ copyright reform.

“When you look at the Conservatives’ track record so far, you notice fierce actions towards all groups and organizations that oppose the Conservative,” said Nantel. “There are parallels to be drawn between closing the CCA, cutting financial aid to Development and Peace, abolishing the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, and muzzling the scientific community.”