On The Record
Source : Parliament of Canada
Culture exchange during the November 20th House of Commons Question Period
November 20, 2008
Mrs. Carole Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, BQ):
Mr. Speaker, faced with the outcry prompted by the cuts to cultural programs, the former Minister of Heritage made a clumsy attempt to smooth things over by promising that the programs that had been eliminated would be replaced. Now the new Minister of Heritage is saying that those programs will not be replaced. And on top of that, the Speech from the Throne speaks volumes in its silence on this subject.
Can the Prime Minister explain why he is continuing to deny the arts and cultural communities the resources they need, when this is a dynamic industry and one that is essential to the economy?
Hon. James Moore (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the accusation made by the member opposite is completely false. In the past, during our first term, our government increased spending on arts and culture by 8%. We spend $3.2 billion on arts and culture in this country. In the past, the Bloc Québécois voted against those increases. They were the ones who voted against them. We have increased them in the past. We are accountable to the taxpayers and it was the Bloc who voted against artists, not us.
Mrs. Carole Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, BQ):
Mr. Speaker, the increases in heritage spending went to sports, and cultural industries actually got a $45 million cut.
When you attack culture and artists in this way, you attack the very foundations of the Quebec nation. Culture is certainly not negligible in economic terms. It provides 314,000 jobs in Quebec, and it produces nearly $85 billion in economic benefits in Canada, accounting for 7.4% of GDP.
Once again, why this attack on an industry that is so important to the economy?
Hon. James Moore (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, we are not attacking anything. We have increased spending by 8%. Her statement that we gave that money to sports is false. That is false. We gave that money to the torch relay so that francophone communities outside Quebec could be involved in the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. That is because we understand that there are francophones outside Quebec. We, a national party, are the ones who understandQuebec, who understand Canada, and who understand francophones in all regions of this country.
Mr. Speaker, faced with the outcry prompted by the cuts to cultural programs, the former Minister of Heritage made a clumsy attempt to smooth things over by promising that the programs that had been eliminated would be replaced. Now the new Minister of Heritage is saying that those programs will not be replaced. And on top of that, the Speech from the Throne speaks volumes in its silence on this subject.
Can the Prime Minister explain why he is continuing to deny the arts and cultural communities the resources they need, when this is a dynamic industry and one that is essential to the economy?
Hon. James Moore (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the accusation made by the member opposite is completely false. In the past, during our first term, our government increased spending on arts and culture by 8%. We spend $3.2 billion on arts and culture in this country. In the past, the Bloc Québécois voted against those increases. They were the ones who voted against them. We have increased them in the past. We are accountable to the taxpayers and it was the Bloc who voted against artists, not us.
Mrs. Carole Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, BQ):
Mr. Speaker, the increases in heritage spending went to sports, and cultural industries actually got a $45 million cut.
When you attack culture and artists in this way, you attack the very foundations of the Quebec nation. Culture is certainly not negligible in economic terms. It provides 314,000 jobs in Quebec, and it produces nearly $85 billion in economic benefits in Canada, accounting for 7.4% of GDP.
Once again, why this attack on an industry that is so important to the economy?
Hon. James Moore (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, we are not attacking anything. We have increased spending by 8%. Her statement that we gave that money to sports is false. That is false. We gave that money to the torch relay so that francophone communities outside Quebec could be involved in the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. That is because we understand that there are francophones outside Quebec. We, a national party, are the ones who understandQuebec, who understand Canada, and who understand francophones in all regions of this country.
