[e-drive]EQUIFLASH [ARTS & CULTURE ELECTION PLATFORMS GRADED - NATIONAL]

[Darlene Bullard]

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CCA BULLETIN - ARTS & CULTURE PLATFORMS GRADED
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Ottawa, June 21st, 2004 - With only one week remaining in the election campaign, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) is working with members to keep arts and culture in the minds (and hearts) of political candidates and the voting public.
 
1.  Toronto Arts Coalition

Toronto Arts Coalition has posted survey responses at www.torontoartscoalition.org/Elections2004-Feds.htm which outline the Greater Toronto Area's candidates' positions on arts and culture issues.  One statement in particular, by NDP candidate Peggy Nash (Parkdale-High Park), caught the attention of CCA: "The NDP will lock in all federal arts and culture funding and guarantee a 3 percent increase per year on all currently allocated funds to cover inflation.  As well, we will infuse an additional $240 million per year over the next two years for Canadian culture, and increase that to $340 million additional funds by 2007."  
 
This is a clear articulation of the need for stable, increased, multi-year funding for the cultural sector, for which CCA has advocated for a number of years.
 
2. National Arts Service Organizations (NASOs)

On June 11, 2004, several directors of Canadian National Arts Service Organizations (NASOs) signed onto a letter to the leaders of the five major political parties, soliciting their positions on:
*	Canadian ownership of Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting.
*	The maintenance of Canadian content regulation in broadcasting and broadcast distribution.
*	Provisions for stable long-term financial support for Canada's cultural industries.
According to the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, only the Liberals and BlocQuébécois have replied to date.  (For the complete text of the letter and replies, go to www.friends.ca 

3. Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO)

On 16 June, a standing-room only crowd gathered in Toronto for another all candidates' debate.   Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO) reports in their online newsletter that three broad themes were discussed: justifying arts and culture in terms of their social, not just economic, value; Canada's cultural sovereignty; and concerns about freedom of expression and Bill C-12. Visit their link.
(http://www.arcco.ca/html/Information/Current_NewsFlash.html).  

 
4. Analysis of platform budgets

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the think tank which brings you the Alternative Budget each year, has released a financial analysis of the party platforms (www.policyalternatives.ca ).  The following is excerpted from the document's conclusion:
 
"The Conservatives cannot pay for what they say.  We project that the Conservatives will run cumulative budget deficits of $11.4 billion.  This obliges the Conservatives to tell Canadians how they intend to deal with this shortfall.  Do they intend to make further cuts to government spending to balance their books?  Or are they intending to increase the federal debt?
 
The Liberals can pay for what they say.  However, their cumulative $24.2 billion surpluses between 2004/05 and 2008/09 are far in excess of the margin that the Liberals typically leave for 'contingency reserves'.  The Liberals usually set aside $3 billion per year for this contingency fund, or a total of $15 billion between 2004/05 and 2008/09.  Thus the Liberals are again underestimating the fiscal capacity for program spending.  As past performance has indicated, this is likely to result in the diversion of these 'surprise' surpluses into debt repayment.
 
The New Democrats can pay for what they say - in fact, we foresee them running higher surpluses than they themselves forecast.  This $14.6 billion in cumulative surpluses provides the NDP extra capacity to enact further spending increases or tax cuts.  Alternatively, this $14.6 billion surplus may be used to absorb any unanticipated shortfalls in their revenue projections, or overruns in their cost projections."
  
For more information visit the the CAEA website at www.caea.com or the CCA web site at www.ccarts.ca.

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Canadian Actors' Equity Association
44 Victoria Street, 12th Floor
Toronto, ON M5C 3C4
e-mail: communications at caea.com