Donna Hansen - Letter on Arts & Culture

NDP Candidate on Support for the Arts in Ontario

Letter to the Editor:

Re: Investment in the arts matters: Tory, The Beacon Herald, August 10, 2007

I found it interesting to read this article and be informed of the Conservative’s newfound interest in arts and culture. I very clearly remember the Harris/Eves’ regime and the destructive legacy it left in its wake. They created a debacle for theatres and museums and for everyone working in the arts. They didn’t stop there – they went on to put an end to the careers of many public and separate schoolteachers who specialized in music, library and theatre arts. Slashed funding and no governmental support for the arts and no one left in the schools to encourage and coach budding artists. Their actions spoke volumes about their real attitude regarding the value of artists’ work in our society.

The Liberals are no better. In the 2003 election campaign Dalton McGuinty promised that, within the first two years of his mandate, he would enact Status of the Artist Legislation and other measures to improve the lives and incomes of Ontario’s artists. He broke that promise. In a hurry to try and enact a Status of the Artist bill before an election, the Liberals presented a bill that was woefully inadequate and was criticized roundly by arts organizations and unions alike. And yet when the NDP presented amendments to the bill at the Finance committee, both Liberals and Conservatives voted them down.

Howard Hampton and the Ontario New Democratic Party, on the other hand, have never needed to be prompted to see the need for and the value of the arts to our society. The NDP position on the Status of the Artist legislation agrees with the demands that Actors’ Equity is calling for. Some of the those demands are:

- Protection for child performers;
- Access to training and professional development programs and funds;
- Tax measures favourable to artists
- Protection for senior artists;
- Consultative processes leading to the creation and enactment within 24 months of an appropriate labour relations mechanism encompassing a collective bargaining procedure for all professional artists and producers in the province of Ontario.

The NDP believes that the Ontario Arts Council budget must be increased and arts education in Ontario schools be revitalized.

I know that the NDP will work, whether as the government or in the opposition, to support the cultural industry in Ontario – not because it is expedient and makes good headlines – but because the NDP understands that arts and culture are vital to our society and define us as a people. Support for the NDP at the ballot box will ensure support for arts and culture in Ontario.

Sincerely,
Donna Hansen, NDP Candidate, Perth-Wellington