Stephen Harper vs. The Arts

By Grace

This is not what I wanted to see the day after I arrived home from culture-rich London, England. Yesterday, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper said this of government arts funding while on the campaign trail: "I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up – I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people,"

This in response to the $45 million he cut from arts programs in Canada.

It has sparked remarks about a new "culture war", but whether it gains enough momentum to become a real election issue, or makes any impact on the Canadian electorate, remains to be seen.

Anyone with any respect for and connection with the arts community in this country understands that the majority of artists are not monetarily "rich" by any means. In fact, in order to do what we love, we either have to resign ourselves to doing it during off-hours from our day jobs or live lives where, financially, we barely scrape by. It's insulting and unfair to portray them as a bunch of "elite" money-grubbing whiners.

Harper's remarks also come after his attempt to limit tax funding for Canadian film productions by denying credits to those with so-called objectionable content.

Don't give me any nonsense about the practicality of art and culture. It's a way to express our identity - both as Canadians and as people. It has its practical applications, sure, but art's emotional resonance is what makes it so important. It's boundless in scope, encompassing all kinds of mediums - film, music, performance, fine arts, poetry and literature, among many others; its influence cannot be measured. The best can inspire us, change our entire philosophies and outlooks on life, and even the smallest can make us smile.

Art is not "elite" nor "niche" as Harper calls it. While I was wandering through the Tate, I was chatting with one of my father's friends about surrealism. She said that it was sometimes hard for her to "get it". I told her that pieces that can only be grasped by certain people are completely ineffective because the message gets lost. If you have a favourite singer, a painting on your wall, or a photograph on your desk, art has touched you - it's really that simple.

While it cannot be quantified, we as human beings, as Canadians, need the arts. And the artists who produce it will occasionally need government subsidies.

The true wealth of the arts community is our talent and enthusiasm for sharing it - by trying to stifle it, Harper has proven himself to be a cultural pauper.