OTTAWA – Saying it "implies stagnation", the minority Conservative government Tuesday voted against an opposition motion demanding that Cancon, foreign ownership and support for public broadcasting stay off the table in any future trade talks.
The motion, brought forward by the Liberals, which referred to a recent UNESCO convention and was supported by all parties but the ruling Conservatives, said:
“That, in view of the ratification by Canada of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the House insist that the government provide direction to trade negotiators to ensure that domestic cultural rights are not undermined in any trade talks, and that its departments and agencies maintain the program policies and regulations in support of Canada’s artistic sector and cultural industries, in particular, by maintaining or enhancing: (a) existing Canadian cultural content requirements; (b) current restrictions on foreign ownership in the cultural sector; and (c) financial support for public broadcasting in both official languages.”
“The reason this motion was brought forward at this time is because we had reason to doubt the Harper government’s commitment to protecting and promoting our Canadian cultural sovereignty. Yesterday’s vote proves our concern was justified,” said Liberal Heritage Critic Mauril Bélanger.
"This Motion would have denied the government the freedom to innovate and develop new policies to take Canada’s cultural community to new levels of success," said Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, in her own release. "Our Government is committed to our cultural community by developing policies that will address the new realities that they face."
The recent Budget shows our Government’s commitment the arts and culture with the investment of $50 million dollars to the Canada Council for the Arts. The money will enable the Council to support more Canadian artists in a variety of fields, says the release.
The Government of Canada is committed to further innovative programs that will ensure Canada’s cultural community can grow and reach heights not possible under the old policy framework, continued the release. Currently, the government provides more than $2.3 billion per year for arts and culture through the Department of Canadian Heritage and its portfolio agencies, as well as through a series of tax-related measures. The current annual budget for the Canada Council is approximately $150 million.
