LSM Newswire

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Appel d'urgence ˆÝ la raison culturelle



RQD Expresso [20-08-2008]




Appel d'urgence ˆÝ la raison culturelle


English version below

Montrˆ©al, le 19 aoˆªt 2008 ’Äì Le RQD, au nom de plus de 500 professionnels de la danse au Quˆ©bec, dˆ©nonce avec virulence la dˆ©cision du gouvernement Harper d’Äôabolir plusieurs programmes de soutien aux arts et la tactique de guerre utilisˆ©e pour se gagner des votes contre les artistes. D’Äôun gouvernement ˆ©lu dˆ©mocratiquement, mˆ�me en position minoritaire, tout citoyen est en droit d’Äôexiger qu’Äôil fasse preuve de probitˆ©, de responsabilitˆ©, de rigueur, de vigilance et de transparence.

En laissant couler au compte-gouttes l’Äôinformation relative ˆÝ l’Äôabolition de plusieurs programmes de soutien ˆÝ la crˆ©ation, la promotion, la formation, la consolidation des organisations, la diffusion internationale et l’Äôexportation de biens culturels, le gouvernement a dˆ©clenchˆ© une vˆ©ritable guerre des nerfs dans les milieux culturels. D’Äôautant que la rumeur est ˆÝ l’Äôeffet que d’Äôautres programmes soient dans la mire’Ķ

Nous demandons ˆÝ la ministre de Patrimoine canadien, Josˆ©e Verner, enfin sortie de sa taniˆ®re pour rˆ©pondre ˆÝ la pression des mˆ©dias, de clarifier les objectifs et les prioritˆ©s de son gouvernement en matiˆ®re de culture qui justifient l’Äôabolition des programmes tombˆ©s sous le couperet, la semaine derniˆ®re. Par respect pour ses commettants (artistes, travailleurs, gens d’Äôaffaires, spectateurs, auditeurs, lecteurs, amateurs d’Äôart, cinˆ©philes, consommateurs de biens culturels, enseignants, ˆ©tudiants, etc.), nous lui demandons de dˆ©voiler, dans les plus brefs dˆ©lais, la liste complˆ®te des programmes que son gouvernement prˆ©voient envoyer ˆÝ la trappe et la somme totale des ˆ©conomies qu’Äôil compte ainsi rˆ©aliser sur le dos des arts et de la culture.

Si elle ne peut garantir le maintien, ou le transfert au Conseil des Arts du Canada, des crˆ©dits rattachˆ©s aux programmes qui sont, et seront abolis, nous la pressons d’Äôexpliquer aux artistes et aux travailleurs culturels comment son gouvernement entend les aider ˆÝ faire mieux avec moins?

En tant que ministre responsable du secteur culturel qui contribue ˆÝ hauteur de 43 milliards de dollars annuellement ˆÝ l’Äôˆ©conomie canadienne, et dont dˆ©pendent la vie culturelle et la santˆ© ˆ©conomique de nos communautˆ©s, nous lui demandons de s’Äôen faire la dˆ©fenderesse acharnˆ©e auprˆ®s du Conseil des ministres et de la population.

Du nouveau ministre des Affaires ˆ©trangˆ®res et Commerce international, David Emerson, nous nous attendons ˆÝ ce qu’Äôil dˆ©fende bec et ongles la diplomatie culturelle, comme troisiˆ®me pilier de la diplomatie ˆ©trangˆ®re canadienne, et qu’Äôil convainque ses collˆ®gues du gouvernement, non seulement de rˆ©tablir le programme PromArt, mais de rˆ©investir dans les budgets culturels des ambassades. Le Canada, pour qui la dˆ©fense et la promotion de sa spˆ©cificitˆ© culturelle est un enjeu politique et commercial de taille, n’Äôa pas les moyens de se priver des ambassadeurs naturels, et de premier plan, que sont les artistes et travailleurs culturels du Quˆ©bec et du Canada sur la scˆ®ne internationale, non plus que des agents au fait des affaires culturelles sur le terrain.

ˆÄ l’Äôinstar des autres secteurs artistiques et culturels, des mˆ©dias et des ˆ©lus des partis de l’Äôopposition qui ont dˆ©noncˆ© les dˆ©cisions et les agissements du gouvernement Harper, la communautˆ© de la danse professionnelle du Quˆ©bec espˆ®re ardemment qu’Äôil entende raison. L’Äôabolition des programmes Promart et Routes commerciales compromet dangereusement, et ˆÝ court terme, l’Äôavenir de la danse professionnelle au Quˆ©bec et au Canada. Partie prenante d’Äôune industrie culturelle secouˆ©e par l’Äôabolition d’Äôautres programmes de soutien, la communautˆ© de la danse du Quˆ©bec et du Canada craint sˆ©rieusement pour l’Äôavenir de la culture quˆ©bˆ©coise et canadienne.

Nous avons collectivement, et sur plusieurs dˆ©cennies, beaucoup investi dans l’Äôˆ©dification d’Äôune culture et d’Äôune identitˆ© qui nous distinguent. Nous refusons de nous perdre dans la cacophonie du monde.


Call for Common Sense and Cultural Reason


Montreal, August 19, 2008 ’Äì On behalf of over 500 Quebec dance professionals, RQD vehemently condemns the decision taken by the Harper government to abolish several arts support programs and the war tactics it has used to secure votes against artists. Every citizen has a right to demand that a democratically elected government, even one that is in a minority position, will act with integrity, accountability, rigour, watchfulness and transparency.
By adopting a piecemeal approach to how it releases information on the abolition of several support programs for artistic creation, promotion and training, organizational consolidation, international touring and the export of cultural products, the government has engaged Canada's cultural communities in a veritable war of nerves, particularly since rumour now has it that the government has set its sights on other programs, as well.

We are asking that the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Josˆ©e Verner, finally breaks her silence in response to media pressure, clarify her government's objectives and priorities with respect to culture and explain how they justify abolishing the programs that were cut last week. Out of simple respect for her constituents (artists, workers, business people, audiences, readers, art lovers, moviegoers, consumers of cultural products, teachers, students, etc.), we are asking her to respond as soon as possible with a complete list of the programs that her government plans to eliminate and the total amount of savings that it expects to achieve at the expense of arts and culture.

If Ms. Verner cannot guarantee that the appropriations for programs that have been or will be abolished will be maintained or transferred to the Canada Council for the Arts, we urge her to explain to artists and cultural workers how her government intends to help them do better with less funding.

As the Minister responsible for a sector that injects over $43 billion annually into the Canadian economy and on which the cultural and economic lives of our communities depend, we are asking her to become a tireless defender of arts and culture within the cabinet and to the public.

We expect David Emerson, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, to fight tooth and nail in defence of cultural diplomacy as the third pillar of Canadian foreign diplomacy. We expect him to convince his colleagues within the government to not only bring back the PromArt program, but also to reinvest in the cultural budgets of Canada's embassies. Defending and promoting Canada's cultural distinctiveness is a critical political and trade issue, and Canada cannot afford to do without the natural ambassadors provided by Quebec's and English Canada's artists and cultural workers, first and foremost, not to mention the presence of our cultural trade agents in foreign markets.

Other artistic and cultural communities have denounced the Harper government's decisions and actions, as have the media and elected members of the opposition parties. Quebec's professional dance community fervently hopes that the government will listen to reason. Abolishing programs like PromArt and Trade Routes has seriously compromised the future of professional dance in the short term in both French and English Canada. As part of an industry that has been seriously affected by cuts to other support programs, the Quebec and English Canada dance communities are deeply concerned about the future of Canadian culture.

For several decades we have worked together to build a distinctive culture and identity. We refuse to have our point of view lost in the surrounding cacophony.

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