Federal election update
January 19, 2006
To help inform your voting decision in the federal election, we
have compiled a list of heritage- and culture-related news and resources.
After the election we encourage members to contact their new MPs
and start building relationships with them.
Political websites
For the party platforms, candidates and more, visit the official
party websites
For election information and results go to the Elections Canada
website
After the election visit the Parliament of Canada website for the
new list of MPs and Cabinet ministers
The Arts Advocate Volume XII Issue 1, 17 Jan 2006
The platforms of all political parties are silent on the matter
of museums and heritage. Although a museums policy announcement
was said to be imminent before the fall of the Liberal government,
and the challenges with Canada's heritage institutions have been
identified by the Auditor General and the Standing Committee on
Finance over the past several years, there is no indication that
this is an area of concern for any of the parties.
All political parties have indicated they would honour the commitment
to increased spending on the arts, through the Canada Council. Announced
on 23 November 2005, the feds promised to increase funding to the
Council by $5 per Canadian to $306 million by 2008.
Outstanding is also the question of supplemental support to the
major cultural capital projects underway, like the AGO and the ROM.
On Sunday, 15 January 2006, the Liberals made a general commitment
to cultural infrastructure, but provided no details.
Consider as well that any new government, regardless of political
stripe, is going to require time to find its feet, and it's clear
that cultural policy in Ottawa is on ice for a while.
To subscribe: The Arts Advocate 52 Old Orchard Grove,
Toronto, Ontario M5M 2C9 Tel. 416.483.9693 Fax 416.483.6125 email
mmckay@artsadvocate.com
Canadian Museums Association
Responses to museum-sector questions
The Canadian Museums Association has posed museum-sector questions
to the major political parties. The responses are available in their
Election Toolkit section http://www.museums.ca/Cma1/WhatsNew/ADVOCACY/electiontoolkit.htm
Canadian Conference of the Arts Bulletin January 17, 2006
The following parties have released their official platforms:
The Conservative Party of Canada
References to arts and culture can be found on page 39 in the "Stand
Up for Our Communities" section http://www.conservative.ca/media/20060113-Platform.pdf
The Liberal Party
Reference to arts and culture can be found on page 63, in the section
"Building the Canada We Want." http://www.liberal.ca/images/dir/PDFs/platform_e.pdf
The New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP)
References to arts and culture can be found on page 32, in the
"Getting More Done for People: Jobs" section http://www.ndp.ca/ndp-drupal/files/platform-en-final-web.pdf
The NDP's January 12 announcement on its cultural platform is available
at http://www.ndp.ca/page/3053
The Green Party
The "Sharing our Stories: Arts, Culture and Communication"
section of their platform is available at http://www.greenparty.ca/our_stories.html
Questionnaire responses
The CCA received responses to a December 20 election questionnaire
from all the major political parties with the exception of the Green
Party. The responses are available at http://www.ccarts.ca/en/2005ElectionNews1/partyresponse.htm
Heritage Canada
The Heritage Canada Foundation has an election information and
advocacy section on its website at http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/2006_elections.htm
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