Increase funding to Canada Council, NDP says

[In Between Man]

Arts and sports are not priorities, and funding needs to be cut.

I'd be in favour of completely cutting our Olympic team funding, quite frankly.

The Canadian pride that the Olympic spirit brought out of Canadians is worth the funding in my opinion. But not the arts, because funding the arts will only give this guy here something else to protest about.

(Pic I snapped of an Olympic protester) Nice hat!

 

[Machjo]

So yous pride in Canada is dependent on gold medals at the Olympics?

 

[In Between Man]

So yous pride in Canada is dependent on gold medals at the Olympics?

It's not dependent on it, but bringing the nation together because we have something to cheer about as in athletes who are capable of winning gold is worthwhile.

 

[Corduroy]

I spend more on entertainment a year than the government takes from me to fund this program. And I'm sure almost every Canadian does, even the very poor. So really, by the time taxes are due each year, we've already made our contributions to the arts. If we wanted to spend more money on government-approved art we would have.

 

[Machjo]

It's not dependent on it, but bringing the nation together because we have something to cheer about as in athletes who are capable of winning gold is worthwhile.

But as you yourself have admited, it's not dependent on it, and therefore not necessary. Let the private sector deal with it. I love Canada regardless of the ability of our athletes.

I would rather see health and fitness spread to the grassroots, not just to professional athletes. So if that's what we want, let't improve sports in school. Then we could be proud of a healthy Canada rather than a couch-potato Canada watching the Olympics.

 

[lone wolf]

While we're at it, let the private sector handle G20 too....

 

[Machjo]

I spend more on entertainment a year than the government takes from me to fund this program. And I'm sure almost every Canadian does, even the very poor. So really, by the time taxes are due each year, we've already made our contributions to the arts. If we wanted to spend more money on government-approved art we would have.

Agreed.

While we're at it, let the private sector handle G20 too....

Canada should withdraw from the G8 and even the G20. So I guess my answer to that is: yes!

 

[In Between Man]

While we're at it, let the private sector handle G20 too....

This G20 meeting is brought to you by Pepsi. All the protesters would buy Coke, and it could prove to be a great marketing campaign.

 

[Machjo]

I guess overall I am libertarian except for universal compulsory education on the grounds that all would need to acquire the skills necessary to function in such a free market. So yes, except for education fuding, I would tend to want to pull the plug on most everything else except for a few key programmes.

 

[Bar Sinister]

Arts and sports funding is useful for several reasons. First, both area to a certain extent are labour intensive. Grants to theatre arts and films, for example, don't just fund actors and directors by also myriad others such as stage hands, and so on. One only has to look at the list of credits in a typical film production to realize just how many people are involved in even a rather simple production. Ralph Klein discovered this when he cut film funding in Alberta in a burst of unenlightened market fervour. Two years later he had to reverse the policy when literally dozens of film production crews moved to other areas of Canada, costing Alberta hundreds of jobs.

Sports is a tremendous unifier. Compared to all of the funding intended to promote Canadian unity nothing suceeds so well and for such a relatively low cost as a sporting success in the international level. A prime example was the success of Donovan Baily and his companions at the 1996 Olympics when they trounced the Americans in their supposed area of superiority. Another was the surge of national pride at the recent Vancouver Olympics.

There is also something of a patriotic spin-off from the arts. Most Canadians take great pride when one of their own makes it internationally. The many successful Canadian TV and film personalities give Canadians a real sense of pride and tend to be viewed as proof that Canadians are the equal of others in any area.

In addition, so far as the arts are concerned their is often a monetary payback. Most Canadians don't know this but Canada is a world leader in the production of children's shows, many of which are syndicated internationally and that doesn't even take into account the dozens of TV dramas that have been produced in Canada in the last few decades.

 

[petros]

Art can teach someone geometry/physics/chemistry without out them even realizing they are learning it....

 

[damngrumpy]

Actually like it or not the arts are part of almost everything we do one way or another.
Are reflects how we build our infrastructure, it influences our social development
through music, dance, paintings, ballet, and even pottery and photography. Art is
often a record of and a reflection of our history and the advancement of our culture.
It also provides jobs and enhances shopping areas and development.
The arts, are interlocked with almost everything, even the military recognizes the
arts in paintings and photography. Those who progress to the professional level are
the people who create the great posters for rock concerts, and mass multi media
events. The design of uniforms and sports uniforms all come from the arts.
All those famous logos for major companies, the video games some play, the idea
of extreme sports and its promotion all comes from the arts.
Arts and the young artists of today pass those skills on to the young of tomorrow.
In so doing they are like the bees that pollinate blossoms, artists are the bees that
in turn pollinate the progress and future ideas and directions of our culture.
It needs to be funded not because we want to fund derelict painters on the main street,
funding the arts contributes to the development of industry from automobiles to stoves
and fridges. The future of sports and architecture, and we provide the staff that will
produce the scenes for movies and sales presentations and the list goes on.
No future artists will cost us billions and leave us at the mercy of those who do support
the arts. Its a huge part of our economy, we don't see it up front but it is there.