Budget fallout: Feds allot $72 million to Quebec arts and cu

[styky]

Budget fallout: Feds allot $72 million to Quebec arts and culture


By Anne Sutherland, THE GAZETTE April 13, 2012

MONTREAL - James Moore, the minister of Canadian heritage, brought a goody bag of $72 million to Montreal on Thursday to benefit Quebec organizations devoted to arts and culture.

Every year arts festivals, centenary celebrations, cultural spaces, museums, ballet and theatre companies, cultural programs for aboriginals, the Canadian book industry and print magazines are helped out by tax dollars. The $72 million in funding announced Thursday covers a three-year period ending in 2014.

As in previous years, big attendance draws like the Jazz Festival (which received $2 million) and the Just For Laughs festival ($2 million) will benefit from Ottawa’s largesse, as will smaller events like the Bromont Chocolate Festival ($25,600) and the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts ($15,000).

“Yes, we did have to make some choices,” Moore said when faced with questions about the recent budget cuts to the national broadcaster, the loss of Radio Canada International and the closing of National Film Board screening centres in Montreal and Toronto.

“The staff cuts at Radio Canada were the decision of management, and we have confidence in Lacroix and his team,” Moore said of Radio Canada boss Hubert Lacroix.

The question Moore sidestepped was why private for-profit companies such as Transcontinental, Reader’s Digest and TVA received millions in subsidies for certain publications at the same time as the government is slashing jobs and services at Radio Canada, the CBC and the National Film Board.

TVA Publications, which publishes such magazines as 7 Jours (subsidy of $737,654) and Echo Vedettes ($347,731), got a total of $5.1 million in subsidies.

Médias Transcontinental, which publishes Corriere Italiano ($152,005) and Coup de Pouce ($1,249,882), received $3.6 million. Reader’s Digest got $2.2 million. Elle Québec, published by Transcontinental, got $516,649.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Bud ... z1s4BzQD4M

[Edward Kennedy]

I have stopped patronizing all kweebec magazines and ANY company located there.

[Kate Shaw]

Yesterday's Sun had a list of programs on which my tax dollars are lavished, categorized by "renewed" "on the bubble" or "cancelled."

I discovered that I had never seen a single episode of any show on any of those lists, and frankly had not even heard of a siginficant majority of these shows. I have read two books the Government touted in the subway that purported to give me a historical perspective on some sort of Canadian history through fiction. Both were absolutely terrible.

In fact, the only thing I have ever praised the Government for funding is the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres, which is held to celebrate the fact that Formula One discovered Giles Villeneuve there, in the now defunct Atlantics Racing Series. This event is so well run and popular that you have to reserve your hotel room in December to get a place for their August event.

I see no reason for my tax dooars, which I desperately need to keep my head above water now that McGinty has driven so many jobs out of Ontario, to be frittered away on bad art, disgusting sitcoms, and poorly written novels.

[RedDog]

I don't mind if Paybec has art and "culture" just as I don't mind if Latvia or Algeria has such (neither of which is any more important to me than Quebec). I just don't want to pay for it and I deeply resent when it's pawned off as my culture to excuse the expense and continual raids on my wallet.

[styky]

Opposition parties vowing hundreds of procedural hurdles to block massive budget bill

By: The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - The Harper government will have to scale potentially hundreds of procedural hurdles — erected by three different opposition parties — in order to secure passage of its massive budget implementation bill.

The Conservatives' majority ensures the 400-plus-page bill will eventually win parliamentary approval.

But procedural ploys promised by the NDP, Liberals and lone Green MP Elizabeth May could mean it could take days —or even weeks — longer than the government had hoped.

The NDP vows to continue tactics to delay a planned second-reading vote on Monday, after which the bill is supposed to be sent to the Commons finance committee for more detailed examination.....................http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/busine ... 90495.html

[wildernessvoice]

Just dig a little deeper, Alberta, Quebec needs the money.

[Charles J. White]

Can someone tell me if Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien are still the Prime Minsiter of Canada?

[wildernessvoice]

Can someone tell me if Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien are still the Prime Minsiter of Canada?

nO. tHEY JUST HAVE THEIR HANDS STUCK UP hARPER'S RECTUM IN ORDER TO ANIMATE HIM.