Paul Summerville - NDP

Paul grew up in Toronto and is a resident of St. Paul’s. He has vast international experience having studied in Geneva, Jerusalem, Osaka and at the University of Tokyo where he earned his PhD. More recently Paul was the Chief Economist for RBC Dominion Securities here in Toronto. His website is www.paulsummerville.ca

1) Will your party commit to upholding the November 2005 federal commitment to a $342 million increase to arts funding over three years?

Yes.

New Democrats will provide increased funding for the Canada Council for the support of artists and ensure that the government follows through on November’s Canada Council funding announcement. We need to make certain that the Council’s funding for art and artists remains stable and accessible.

2) Given the positive affect of arts programming on many aspects of Toronto's daily life including community volunteerism, youth engagement, economic development, employment, tourism and overall quality of life, conjoined with the fact that Toronto's artists fall in the top 25% of education levels and the bottom 25% of income levels, can you offer any concrete commitment from your party that will improve the environment for the City's artists.

Yes.

The NDP believes that our arts, culture and media are vital to preserving our cultural sovereignty and independence as a nation. We will continue to fight for the development of arts and culture policies that nurture this sector as a vital economic engine for Canada, our cities and communities.
New Democrats will strengthen the status of Canada’s artists by:

* Introducing a system of tax averaging to provide fair and equitable tax treatment for Canadian artists.

* Building on a model in Quebec, introduce an exemption for the first $30,000 on copyright and certain royalty income.

* Protecting children in the arts.