WFNB: Our Position on the Arts Cuts

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick will advocate on behalf of the individual members and writers in the province, who may depend on Federal travel grants to promote their work, give readings, and attend creative residencies across Canada and in other parts of the world.

In addition, we denounce the $1 million cut to the Book Publishing Industry Development Program, as well as the $500,000 cut to the Canada Magazine Fund. These are essential funding bodies that support small publishers who want to reach larger audiences. The elimination of these and other arts, culture and heritage programs undermines previous claims the Harper government has made that it will promote and support made-in-Canada initiatives both at home and abroad.

The operations of the Federation as an organization will not be directly affected by the Harper government’s cuts as we are not recipients of federal funding from any of the eliminated or reduced programs. However, we currently depend on the Canada Council for the Arts to provide honoraria for our writer workshops and readings, and also to contribute to the travel costs of visiting authors. Should the Harper government continue to make cuts in this sector, we will ultimately suffer in our ability to put on readings and workshops.

On an ideological level, our organization is affected by the recent funding cuts in that we are wary of any government that so openly and cavalierly expresses a disdain for arts and culture. We are part of a community of literary and artistic organizations, and the dismantling of any part of the larger arts, culture and heritage sector affects all art and literature producers and appreciators.

These are the questions we are interested in asking the political candidates:

1. Does your party acknowledge that the federal government has a responsibility to invest in art and culture in Canada as it does in other sectors of national activity?

2. Does your party agree that artists, intellectuals, and cultural institutions contribute as much to the international image of Canada as athletes and business people do?

3. If so, what programs and policies will your party put in place to ensure that artists, creators, and intellectuals participate in Canadian foreign policy strategy?

4. Does your party intend to replace the programs dedicated to the internationalization of Canadian culture (PromArt and TradeRoutes)? Please provide specific details.