Platforms are now public for the two main parties. The BC Green Party is expected to release their platform around the time of the radio and TV debates, on April 20 and 26 respectively. The BC Liberals will make the NDP’s platform costing a key component of their campaign this week.
We are still waiting to hear about the release of complete platforms from the Conservatives and Greens.
The platforms (or portions of platforms) for the parties can be accessed at the following links:
Background: BC is 6th in the country in terms of per capita spending on arts, despite the fact that it boasts the largest number of working artists per capita. In hard dollars, Alberta, with a slightly smaller population has an arts council budget of $31 million compared to BC’s $24 million, Ontario’s nearly $61 million (with an even lower per capita spending of $4.35) and Quebec at nearly $95 million (with the highest per capita spending of $11.38).
Equity dug a little deeper into the platforms for the BC Liberals and NDP and has provided a synthesis of the overarching issues from the platforms released this week. (Our comments are in italics.)
BC LIBERALS
Arts and Culture
- Investing an additional $15 million in the BC Music Fund
Comment: While admirable, this does not assist our sector.
- Provide an additional $5 million each year to the Community Gaming Grant program, bringing the annual total to $140 million to support not-for-profit organizations
Comment: While helpful, the Gaming grant money is distributed over so many different types of organizations that there might be no visible impact on our sector at all.
Film and Television
- Working with industry partners to attract more business from the United States and Asia, bringing more jobs, investment and productions
Comment: Given that Vancouver is often “booked solid,” it is hard to imagine that this is an urgent priority.
- Conduct annual trade missions to California
Comment: This is not a new activity and is now done regularly by the unions and key industry players at their own expense.
- Work with studios to develop additional post-production space and grow the post-production industry and make BC's Special Envoys for Film in the United States and India permanent
Comment: This is a valuable idea but there is no dollar figure attached to assist in building those new, high tech spaces. The value of the second initiative remains to be seen.
NOTE: There is no commitment from the BC Liberals of any kind of increase to arts funding other than to the music and film and television industries.
Labour Policy
- Increase minimum wage in a stable, affordable and predictable way
Comment: While this does not directly support our sector, it is good public policy.
- Legislate WorkSafeBC to develop a policy that requires surplus funds to be returned to employers
Comment: We don’t know how much surplus there currently is or whether or not WorkSafeBC could be using it to provide additional services.
Accessibility
- Create a Minister responsible for accessibility who will work to make BC the most accessible jurisdiction for disabled people in North America
Comment: Making cultural spaces accessible, not just for audiences but for artists, is a laudable goal and should be supported.
- Establish an accessibility lens on regulations and legislation as part of Accessibility 2024 action plan
Comment: We are not familiar enough with the Accessibility 2024 plan to comment.
Inclusivity
- First Nation history, culture, and traditions are now woven into BC's new K-12 curriculum to make it more relevant for Indigenous students and also educate non-Indigenous children
Comment: This is an positive change to the BC education curriculum.
BC NDP
Arts and Culture
- Double the province's investment in the BC Arts Council over four years bringing the funding up to $48 million annually
Comment: Given the small size of the Arts Council budget ($24 million) and overall size of the entire BC budget ($44.8 billion), four years is a long time to increase the budget.
- Provide space for BC artists to create by investing in an arts infrastructure fund mobilizing substantial federal infrastructure dollars that BC is currently missing out on
Comment: Creating a provincial arts infrastructure fund that could lever federal monies is long overdue and necessary.
- Increase investments in Creative BC to support BC musicians, publishers, authors, artists, digital media, indigenous storytellers, and the film and TV industries
Comment: On April 1, 2013 the programs and services of the BC Film Commission and BC Film + Media were merged into one agency, called Creative BC. Additional support for this agency is helpful to the creative industries but offers no specific benefit to our sector.
Film and Television
- Providing incentives for film producers to use BC based writers, including in their development work, by expanding BC's film labour tax credit to include BC writers
Comment: Any change that increases work opportunities for local talent is positive.
- Improve the competitiveness of BC's domestic film and TV industry by ensuring they get a fair share of federal investments from federal government programs, specifically Telefilm Canada
Comment: We cannot comment on this proposal as we do not know how it is that the local film and TV industry feels that it is being underserved by the federal programs.
Labour Policy
- Increase minimum wage to $15/hour by 2021, then tie increases to inflation
Comment: This is sound social policy.
Housing
- Build 114,000 affordable rental, non profit, co-op and owner purchase housing units through partnerships over ten years. These homes will be a mix of housing for students, singles, seniors, and families and will range from supported social housing to quality, market rental housing
Comment: While this does not specifically require developers to create new live/work or other arts spaces in new builds, anything that provides greater access to affordable housing will benefit our sector by making it possible for precariously engaged artists to remain in the Greater Vancouver area.
Inclusivity
- Develop with First Nations a curriculum that reflects accurately and fairly on the rich history of the people of this land
- Make reconciliation a cross-government priority, and work collaboratively and respectfully with First Nations
- Adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which has been accepted by 148 nations, including the Government of Canada and incorporate strategies for implementation in ministry mandate letters
Comment: The arts can play a significant role in these important initiatives.
MEDIA COVERAGE
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*Global Public Affairs is one of Canada’s leading privately held strategic communications and government relations consultancy. With offices across Canada, the firm represents many of the largest corporate sector organizations in the country, touching on all facets of the national economy.
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