Let Us Not Speak of Politics, Sex, Abortion or Bad Dirty Things

Canadian Funding of the Arts - Bill C10

At the risk of seeming alarmist and crying out in pain before I've even been hit let me say that, if it's true, then Bill C10 should die or be partially aborted.

According to an email I received from Marilyn Thomas the Canadian government (minority government) has slipped in a proviso for content review by the Minister of Heritage for films being funding by tax credits.

This amounts to censorship of the arts. Eventually the only films that will be funded will be about children with jam on their mouths and kittens playing with balls of wool.

Sometimes art is provocative, sometimes it's unnecessarily provocative and offensive. Sometimes it deals with subject matter in ways we don't agree with (I can think of the famous American installation of a crucifix standing in a jar of urine which - well, you know).

But let the artists make art. If it speaks to you and it sings then great. If it takes a generation or two for it to begin to vibrate (like Emily Carr) then let's be willing to pass along something valuable to future generations.

Email your MP.

Email the leaders of the opposition parties (Layton, Dion, Duceppe, and whatsername with the Greens).

1. if we are going to fund the arts we must be careful of the content requirements we put in place. Things could get stupidly ugly. As it stands the requirements are the subject matter deal with Canadian issues. I think that's pretty good. Let's leave it at that.

2. if we're to change the tax credit funding mechanisms we should first consult the communities affected. Sort of like let's pretend we live in a democracy and we actually talk about these things and vote on them.

Remember democracy? It was in vogue once but unfortunately it had a definite liberal bias and we've been thinking about letting it lapse as a political system in this country.

3. personally, I want to see more small films from Canadian filmmakers dealing with issues in that small film way. Some of them are boring and treat subject matter like depression and melancholy (and why would we possibly be depressed when we have it all) and some of them show amputees having anal sex or women falling in love with beautiful dead boys (at least, you can comfort yourselves that it's a heterosexual necrophiliac longing).

4. degenerate art? Ahfuckyou! Sorry, a bit of a phlegmy cold.