Party Platforms

Liberal Party of Canada

http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/platform/2008lp_action_plan_e.pdf

In its Action Plan for the 21st Century, the Liberal Party of Canada outlines its commitments to culture, in the chapter, The Liberal Plan for a More Prosperous Canada:

Canada’s diverse arts and cultural community plays a vital role in our national
identity. Cultural activity fosters vibrant, liveable cities and communities, and
supports innovation, helps us understand our past and imagine our future, and
stimulates our economy.

Government needs to do a better job of supporting and promoting Canadian books,
music and other forms of creativity. Unfortunately, we have a Conservative government that fails to see the value of arts and culture in fostering the richness of our country.

The Harper Conservatives gutted the Public Diplomacy Program, which allows
our diplomats overseas to use Canadian artists and cultural products to gain access
to and influence decision makers. They cut funding to community museums, and
have provided no support for Canadian television, our growing film industry or
cultural organizations. Until the Liberal caucus exposed them, the Conservatives
were trying to give their Minister the power to censor filmmakers with a few lines
buried in a 500-page tax bill. They then slashed at least $44.5 million from critical
cultural support programs. A Liberal government will reverse these recent cuts
and reinvest the funding cut from the Public Diplomacy Program in 2006.

Liberals believe that Canadian filmmakers should be given more tools to help
them succeed. That is why we will increase the Canadian Film and Video Production
Tax Credit to 30 percent. Not only will this help our filmmakers produce more great films, but it will also help create more high-quality jobs in an industry that already employs over 125,000 people. This represents a commitment of over $160 million to our filmmakers.

A Liberal government will support our cultural industries, increasing Canada’s
competitiveness and quality of life, inviting leading cultural figures to showcase
Canada to the world, celebrating and encouraging our wonderful diversity.

That support begins at the institutional level. Over the next four years, we will
double funding to the Canada Council for the Arts, bringing its annual budget to over $360 million. This will enable the Canada Council to make significant investments in Canada’s artists, creators, and arts institutions. With this investment, we are giving Canadian artists the tools they need to create exciting, vibrant products for all Canadians.

In addition to restoring the cuts made by the Conservatives, we will further increase funding for international arts promotion programming by $15 million
over three years to help bring Canada to the world.

We will increase support for Canada’s museums, investing $16 million in the Museum Assistance Program, to help safeguard our precious cultural heritage.

We will support Canadian content, directing the CRTC to continue its requirement
of Canadian production and content as a condition of broadcast licensing.

Canada has had considerable success in developing a home-grown new or interactive media sector that produces leading edge educational and entertainment projects enjoyed by audiences here at home and around the world. To build on this success and create new, high-skilled jobs in this rapidly growing industry, a new Liberal government will develop and launch a Canadian Digital Media Strategy. The Strategy will focus the government’s efforts to ensure that Canadian creators are able to take a leading role in an industry expected to be worth $65 billion globally by 2010.

Support for Canada’s arts and culture must also extend to support for artists
themselves. That is why a Liberal government will provide income averaging
for artists drawing on the inspiration of Quebec’s income-averaging provisions.
This will ensure that the tax system will better reflect the peaks and valleys of the
artistic work cycle. This is an important tool for helping this country’s writers,
artists and musicians continue to excel.