Where Will The Conservatives Take Canadian Culture?

‘Trepidation’ is probably the best word to describe the feelings of Canada’s arts leaders as they await the ascension of the country’s new Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. “Yet the last time Conservatives did take the reins, under Brian Mulroney, cultural nationalists recall it as a golden age… This time, the cultural industries are watching to see how the Conservatives face three tests. The first involves honouring Canada Council funding promises. The second involves federal-provincial turf issues. The third concerns whether they’ll top up the huge arts and heritage building projects now under way in Toronto and other cities.”