The following alert was issued earlier this week to members of the Writers' Union of Canada in response to the latest assault by the Harper government on funding to writers, artists, musicians and other members of Canada's cultural industries.
To read more on the latest cuts to arts funding in Canada, click here:
Globe & Mail Article and here:
Ottawa Citizenl Article To help stop the Harper government's cuts to arts funding in Canada, send a letter of protest to Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Cabinet ministers listed below.
PROM-ART Program Cancelled!!!
Last week the federal government cancelled the $4.7-million program Prom-Art. This program administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade assisted artists with travel costs when promoting Canadian culture abroad. The program is scheduled to end March 31, 2009.
The media has reported that the program has been cancelled because the federal government is uncomfortable with some of the grant recipients.
Anne Howland, director of communications for Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson, said the decision to scrap the Prom-Art program was largely a budgetary one. She is quoted in the Straight as saying, "The government committed to a more disciplined approach to managing its spending and focusing on programs that are our priorities, so more than anything, it's a budgeting expenditure decision, and we feel Canadians want accountability for their tax dollars, and we're following through on that commitment."
This program was cancelled by the conservatives once before, and national protests saw it reinstated. It is time to call on our federal government to recognize that words count, to reinstate the Prom-Art program and to reinvest in our cultural programs and maintain the vitality of Canadian literature at home and abroad.
Contact your Member of Parliament and express your concern with the cancellation of the Prom-Art program. Here are some key points to share with your MP.
- Writers play a crucial role in our country's evolving international policy.
- Every year the list of Canadian writers who have earned prestigious international awards gets longer and canceling Prom-Art will reverse this growth pattern.
- The international recognition Canadian writers and their stories are enjoying has resulted in a tremendous increase in the industry's export sales and this is possibly Canada's least heralded export success story, but this can not be maintained without adequate funding.
- Readers the world over are clamouring for Canadian writing, buying our stories in hundreds of languages and awarding prizes to writers from Canada.
- Foreign Affairs Canada has a mandate to promote Canadian arts and culture abroad; this will not be attainable without a program.
- Prom-Art's support of international touring has elevated Canadian artists in the international forum.
- Cultural industries contributed $40 billion to Canada's GDP in 2002 alone. During that same year, Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction contributed only $35.4 billion. The Agriculture and Forestry industry contributed $21 billion to Canada's GDP, approximately half that of the cultural sector. [1] This translates into 3.8% of value added contribution to Canada's GDP, in 2002, through cultural industries.
If you have personally benefited from DFAIT's programs you are encouraged to share your stories.
To find the e-mail address of your Member of Parliament by postal code go to: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
In addition to your MP, please copy your comments to:
- Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada: - Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
- The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs: Emerson.D@parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages: Verner.J@parl.gc.ca
- Hon. James Flaherty, Minster of Finance: Flaherty.J@parl.gc.ca
- Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Obhrai.D@parl.gc.ca
- Kevin Sorenson, Chair, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development: Sorenson.K@parl.gc.ca
- Bob Ray, Foreign Affairs Critic, Liberal Party: Rae.B@parl.gc.ca
- Francine Lalonde, Foreign Affairs Critic, Bloc Quebecois: Lalonde.F@parl.gc.ca
- Alexa McDonough, Foreign Affairs Critic, NDP: McDonough.A@parl.gc.ca
All Members of Parliament receive mail (no postage required) at: House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
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