Arts groups say much more government support is needed to secure the future of Canada's $85-billion cultural industry — from more money for the Canada Council and other cultural institutions to regulations to ensure Canadian television and film content will survive in the digital universe. The arts sector provides an estimated 630,000 jobs in Canada, more than either forestry or banking. Yet despite the efforts of arts groups to push culture as an election issue, it has little political traction in this campaign.

Last week, a coalition of more than 70 arts groups from Newfoundland to British Columbia released an unprecedented election manifesto with several demands, among them a more artist-friendly Copyright Act, Canadian content rules for internet providers and wireless carriers and stable funding for groups such as Telefilm, the National Film Board, the CBC and the Canadian Media and Periodical Funds.

Co-ordinated campaigns

Actors Fiona Reid, left, and Mark McKinney urged Canadians to vote culture last week in Toronto. (Pierre Morell/CBC)Also last week, the actors' union ACTRA brought out Canadian film and television stars at a press conference in Toronto to back up its demands, most significantly that internet service providers be considered broadcasters and contribute to a Canadian content fund. Both ACTRA and the coalition of 70 arts groups sent surveys to all the political parties, asking them to respond to their demands. Only the Conservatives did not respond.

The leaders of the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois met with the arts coalition ahead of their Montreal conference. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff met with them the same day, pointing out that he was "the only candidate to be Prime Minister of Canada who's written novels, screenplays, documentaries, who has lived for 16 years of my life as a freelance artist."

In this election, arts groups have taken a quiet, co-ordinated approach to getting their message out. But it's not an issue that's caught fire. As in many elections, confidence in the leaders may trump the parties' promises on a range of issues, including the arts. A recent poll by Nanos Research, commissioned by The Arts Advocate, found only one in 10 Canadians say a party's position on arts and culture will sway their vote.

'2008 was really something of a freak. We had not seen arts and culture be part of an election campaign since the Free Trade Agreement — the NAFTA campaign — in the 1980s'—Alain Pineau, Canadian Conference of the Arts

In 2008, the Conservative government's $45-million cuts to arts funding, along with Stephen Harper's controversial comments that "ordinary Canadians" don't care about the arts, became an electoral lightning rod, especially in Quebec. Spontaneous protests by arts groups and a controversial French TV ad helped put culture on the political map. Some analysts believe that campaign cost the Conservatives votes and seats in Quebec, perhaps even spoiled chances of a majority government. Those cuts still rankle, especially the elimination of two programs that support international touring, PromArt and Trade Routes.

Other issues take precedence

In his B.C. riding, Heritage Minister James Moore has spent most of his time talking about other local or national issues. But in an interview with CBC News, Moore insists his government's support for the arts is solid, pointing to the increase in the Canada Council's budget to a record $180 million annually, a $30 million increase. The Conservatives also have proposed funding the Canada Prizes, and a new arts tax credit for kids. Their record includes the creation of two new museums and the $100-million Marquee Tourism fund for local festivals, he said.

Both the Liberals and the NDP say they would significantly boost funding to the Canada Council and restore dollars for international touring. The Liberals say they would roughly double the amount that was cut by the Conservatives in 2008 and create a $25-million fund for both international and domestic touring.

The Canadian Conference of the Arts, an Ottawa-based group that monitors arts issues, has posted a voter's tool kit on its website, along with the parties' positions on key issues.

"Who knows whether this will have an impact or not," says Alain Pineau, the CCA's national director. "Certainly probably not the same sort of impact, given the debate that's going on currently, that it had in 2008. 2008 was really something of a freak. We had not seen arts and culture be part of an election campaign since the Free Trade Agreement — the NAFTA campaign — in the 1980s."

Cost-cutting coming

Micheline McKay, with The Arts Advocate, an Ontario non-partisan group, argues that the benefits of raising arts as an election issue in 2008 are evident today in the commitments parties are making. All the parties, except the Conservatives, are promising to increase the Canada Council's budget. "Those are big, big successes of the cultural sector in this campaign for sure. If 2008 taught us anything it's that you ignore these things at your peril."

But there's another reality to consider. Once the election is over, the need to reduce Canada's swollen deficit could mean harsh new fiscal realities, and arts groups could be spending as much time protecting the government money that now flows their way, as lobbying to have it increased.