The Hon. James Moore, P.C., M.P. - Support for Culture

A recent Vancouver SUN column by Barbara Yaffe criticizes our Government's record on support for culture. Unfortunately the piece failed to include the full scope of our Government's record on supporting culture.

We have created two new national museums (both outside the national capital region) and are about to create another, the Canadian Museum of History. Funding for arts organizations, festivals, and youth programs are all at record high levels. So, too, is funding for the Canada Council for the Arts, the largest supporter of individual artists in Canada. In fact, recently our Government permanently increased funding for the Canada Council for the Arts by 20% - the largest funding increase for the Canada Council in decades. We have also created the Canada Media Fund, a $100 million per year investment into Canada's film and television production industries, as well as increased funding for local cultural events like children's festivals and the performing arts.

Ms. Yaffe is correct when she suggests that we have reduced funding for the CBC, cut bureaucracy in Ottawa, and invested $28 million in the War of 1812. Indeed, we think Canadians should know more about the War of 1812 and the fact that it was a defining chapter in our history. By and large, it seems Canadians agree: we have received strong support for our War of 1812 commemoration fund from across Canada, including from the opposition NDP, whose members continue to write me in support of projects in their communities.

In 2017, we will mark Canada's 150th birthday. Between now and then, we're going to take every opportunity to highlight milestones that have contributed to Canada being the united, strong, and free country it is today. And I look forward to hearing from Canadians on this in the months ahead.

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