Federal Budget nearly silent on culture, telecom

OTTAWA – Those expecting the first Conservative budget in 14 years to throw any more money at the Canadian culture sector came away from today's federal budget disappointed. Then again, nothing was taken away, either. Just a few lines of the budget made mention of culture, when the government committed $50 million more over two years to the Canada Council. It was silent on Telefilm, the Canadian Television Fund and the CBC, for example. ACTRA, the performers union, offered up typical criticism, calling it a "different cast, same script," in its press release. "Our culture defines us as an independent...