Julianna Yau’s blog

I woke up this morning to a sense of dread when seeing the tweets waiting for me on my Blackberry. Last night, I had decided to go to bed rather than watching the election results, because I couldn’t do much about it by then anyway. And although that saved me from a night of worry, I spent most of today feeling slightly naueous because the Waterloo Region is now completely represented by the Conservatives. That means I’ll have to work much harder to ensure that the person and party elected to represent me will actually do so. And everyone who knows me knows I have nothing but time between my day job, sculpting, being my own agent, running one of the region’s arts newsletters and my copious amounts of volunteer work in the arts community.

So, in the interest of not seeing the glass as completely empty:

• At least the Conservatives only have a minority government
• At least I’m not the only one who isn’t comforted by the statement that “at least the Conservatives only have a minority government”
• At least the Conservatives’ attempt to slip arts budget cuts under the radar failed miserably and, instead, brought the issue to the forefront as an election issue.
• At least the fear of a majority Conservative government has resulted in a wave of strategic voting from all fronts.
• At least people are becoming more aware of how broken our electoral system is, and continuing to work against it.
• At least we don’t have to put up with quite as much campaigning as our neighbours down south.
• At least I still have art, chocolate and scotch.

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• What scares me about the 2008 federal election (0)
• Write to your MP about the arts budget cuts (0)
• What’s On: An Update (0)
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• Fund the Arts, not war! - Rally Sept 4, 6:30pm @ Roy Thompson Hall (2)

This year, I have been more engaged with the political malström than ever before, thanks mainly to the Conservatives’ multiple hits to the arts sector.

And while I have blogged on various issues, met with two of the candidates in my riding (and didn’t hear back from the Green candidate), I am still unswayed from my opinion that there is no party which full represents me. Even at the candidate level, I am completely confident that I can be heard and understood by Cindy Jacobsen and that Andrew Telegdi would know exactly how to navigate through the political system. My unrest lies in my confidence for those two qualities not being with a single candidate.

I doubt I am alone in not being a partisan voter. I have talked to many people about how they plan on voting, and see two types of voters: die-hard supporters of a particular party vs. people who want to vote for the party which they see as the lesser of the evils. It feels like our political and representational system has become so broken that we now have political equivalents of religious tendencies, spanning from the evangelical to the church-goers to the agnostic to the atheists to the non-religious.

What the internet has made possible for this election is the push for strategic voting. Websites like Pair Vote, Anyone But Harper and Vote For Environment are doing what they can to prevent the Conservatives from winning a majority government, because Canada is not a Conservative party. The response to this has been split at every level, with some parties and some candidates supporting anti-Conservative voting, while some are aghast by the very thought of it.

What boggles my mind is why some parties feel that it is okay for them to run ads or have debate responses which are essentially “vote for me because I’m not the other party”, but also discourage us from voting strategically. Or why some of the people I’ve talked to are so religiously supportive of their party of choice that they would actually prefer another party win in their riding and/or win a majority government than “give their vote to any other party”. And while that isn’t an issue in all ridings, there are some where you would be giving your vote to another party by voting for yours.

Is all of this activity going to initiate another push for proprotional representation already in use by over 70 other countries, or for the preferential voting system used by Australia? I hope so. But I’m not holding my breath.

Related posts

• What scares me about the 2008 federal election (0)
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• Meeting with Andrew Telegdi (0)
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Yesterday, there was an informal celebration of the arts at the Kitchener Market. We only had a week to rally the troops, and the turnout was decent.

The arts crowd gathered over the span of a half hour, after which we raised signs which read “ordinary Canadian who cares about the arts” (and other variations) and proceeded to wander through the market. I think a conga line would have been more fun, but not very easy with the signs!

Arun Pal was there to provide us with music, and speeches were later given by some members of the arts community:

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• Harper
• That not everyone who is eligible to vote has acceptable governmental ID to vote. (variations: not being able to afford a passport so they can vote; not being able to afford, or otherwise need, a driver’s license so they can vote; it’s easier to buy cigarettes and alcohol than to vote)
• Election day is scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving.
• Some ridings just had a by-election—will people go out and vote again?
• “I’m voting for x because that’s who I always vote for” (variations: “I’m voting for x because I’ve voted for x since y.”; “I’m voting for x because I’ve voted for x since (2008 – y).”
• “The US election has more of an impact to us.”
• “z is worse than the Conservatives, you know”
• “What about when z was in office and [insert stuff they screwed up]”
• the possibility of the Conservatives getting a majority government with a 30-something percent majority
• that we’ll probably be screwed either way

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I met with Andrew Telegdi yesterday, and the meeting was wholly different than the one I had with Cindy Jacobsen.

The meeting felt like a job interview, with Andrew giving me an overview of his exhaustive history as an MP for Kitchener-Waterloo. It was clear that he knows his way around the political world and that his focus & passion is for human rights and immigration issues. This, sadly, leaves me wondering how (if at all) he will be able to represent and speak on behalf of my concerns regarding environmental and cultural issues.

Yes, human rights are extremely important. And, yes, being focused is good. But I am concerned about other issues (whether they’re ones I or others are concerned about) not getting the attention they need.

Time for more thinking about what to do and not to do with my vote.

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On September 15, Facebook was dotted with profiles, sans profile pictures. This was done in protest of the recent arts funding cuts which were discovered, without warning, consultation or announcement, to show how the loss of arts & culture would mean a loss of cultural identity for Canadians.

I participated in this protest, and will join those who are remaining faceless until the election, such as Chris Foley. Being faceless for a day was very difficult for me, because I use the profile to showcase my recent sculptures, and my sculptures are part of who I am. Instead of seeing one of my creations, having to look at the ghostly silhouette of a nameless person was more than unsettling.

What was most telling of how intimitately connected our identity is with art & culture is the variety of Facless For the Arts profile pictures created by users so they can show they are faceless specificially in support of art & culture.

So as part of my work to raise awareness about the impacts and implications of the arts funding cuts, I will be faceless not merely in Facebook, but in all my online social networks.

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I met with Cindy Jacobsen today to discuss some of the concerns artists have with the actions and direction with the Conservative government. These are, of course, not exhaustive or exclusive, but represent some of the high-profile areas:

Copyright

• creators’ groups not being consulted for the past two copyright bills, even though these groups exist and want to be involved
• the problems with DRM as an option to protect copyright, why it impacts consumers and artists, and how DRM is already posing a problem for consumers
• the monetization of filesharing is an option creators want, particularly when the pricing models ISPs offer are allowing them to profit greatly from the demand for content

C-10

• I only mentioned this in passing, but its “against public policy” stance speaks for itself

Funding & appreciation of the arts

• the arts funding cuts have been devastating, particularly because there was no consultation with the arts community
• there already isn’t much grant money available — an emerging artist grant from the OAC is merely $5,000
• artists aren’t looking for a handout (e.g. I work the equivalent of two full time jobs, with a day job as “private funding” for my arts practice), but need governmental support with things like reintroducing/strengthening the arts in primary and secondary schools, introducing more percent for art programs, and making policy changes to make affordable and safe live-work space available
• recognizing and fostering the need for art & culture to be part of a healthy community and a rich part of our lives

I felt really good about the meeting, and Cindy definitley understood the issues without me needing to convince her that there were problems.

I have still not heard back from Andrew Telegdi’s office with regards to a meeting.

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Fund the Arts, not war!
Stop Stephen Harper¹s attacks on the Arts Rally
Thursday, September 4 - TODAY
6:30pm to 8:00pm
Roy Thompson Hall
60 Simcoe Street
(at King Street West )
TTC: St. Andrew subway stop or King streetcar

Stephen Harper’s government has recently announced a series of devastating cuts to Canada’s arts community, totaling over $60 million. At the same time, Harper plans to spend $490 billion on the military, including the war in Afghanistan, over the next 20 years.

Harper’s attack on the Arts has provoked widespread anger. Every major arts organization in Canada has condemned the cuts, and leading actors, musicians and performers have spoken out publicly. But this is not Harper’s first attack on the Arts. His government has attempted to censor Canadian film and television by introducing Bill C-10, legislation that would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits to productions that are “contrary to public policy”.

On Thursday, September 4, Jim Flaherty Harper’s Minister of Finance is expected to attend the opening gala of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Join us to tell Flaherty and Harper to stop their attacks on the Arts in Canada: Why are hundreds of billions of dollars available for war without end, but not even one per cent of that amount for Canada’s arts community?

Fund the Arts, not war!
Organized by
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
TCSW is Toronto’ s leading peace organization, representing more than 70 labour, faith and community groups, and is the largest anti-war coalition in the Canadian Peace Alliance.
www.nowar.ca stopthewar@sympatico.ca 416-795-5863

Artists Against War
AAW is a Toronto-based collective of artists. Formed in March 2003, AAW is proud to be a part of the artistic and global movement for peace. AAW involves artists of all media and disciplines. Its members include playwrights, musicians, painters, actors, writers, poets, sculptors, dancers, photographers, videographers, to name but some. Their common thread: a desire for peace and justice for all.
www.artistsagainstwar.ca aaw@sympatico.ca

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So much for not being in the thick of political drama. What was that about getting pulled back in?

Somehow, I find myself contacting members of parliament and being strangely excited by the possibility of an election. Although I don’t like the drama which sometimes comes from being involved, I’ve always firmly believed that complaining without action is valueless to the point of being dispicible. I’m sure that many think I’m overdoing it, but things need to get done somehow, right?

The office of my MP, Andrew Telegdi, responded to me on Wednesday, stating that “Mr. Telegdi is very concerned about the effect that this will have on our economy, the arts and culture scene and our appeal abroad.” and that “[they] will update [me] with any news we receive regarding this issue. And please keep [them] posted as well as [they] appreciate hearing concerns and/or receiving advice from an affected member of the Arts community.” I’m now looking forward to meeting with him sometime soon to discuss the impacts of C-10, the copyright legislation and the budget cuts on the arts community.

Bill Siksay has also been the first member of the Heritage committee to respond, although presumably with a form letter:

Dear Julianna,

Thank you for getting in touch with me regarding the Conservative government’s plans to cut key arts and culture programmes that assist Canadian artists, including “PromArt”. The cancellation of this important program will severely limit Canada’s international cultural presence. My New Democrat colleagues and I certainly share your concern on this issue.

The Harper Conservatives are quite simply wrong to cancel important cultural diplomacy programs that help Canadian artistic groups market and promote their work overseas. I believe that government should play a role in promoting Canadian culture overseas. The selection process for participation should not be a political decision based on the personal tastes or ideology of an individual minister. These programmes represent Canada as a whole and must have clear, transparent guidelines that ensure the best of Canadian culture – and the diversity of Canadian culture – is internationally represented.

This move comes on the heels of Bill C-10 and the Harper government’s plans to censor film in Canada that it finds “offensive”. I agree with many Canadians who feel that the Conservatives’ continued attempts to force their tastes on Canadian artists and arts organizations is deplorable. The Conservative government’s attempts to impose their ideological and moral values on Canadians and to censor artistic expression in Canada is unacceptable. My New Democrat colleagues and I have demanded that they back-off from this plan immediately.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Please be assured that I will continue to follow it closely and that New Democrats will remain actively involved in the campaign to protect artistic expression in Canada.

Sincerely yours,

Bill Siksay, MP
Burnaby-Douglas

With the possible election, the coming weeks are probably the best for getting responses from your MP and from members of committees regarding these and other issues. Get out there and show them we mean business!

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Below is my follow-up to my open letter to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which I’m once again releasing under a Creative Commons attribution license.

Honourable members of Parliament:

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for ParlVU, which allowed me to listen to today’s meeting of the Heritage Committee.

After hearing the various comments regarding the recent cuts, and further to my original email below, I would like to know:

• Why was the arts community not involved in the review for the usefulness and need for the programs?
• Where is the reallocated money going?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, met their objectives?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, similar programs? what are those programs?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, have high operating costs? why Was adjustment to the budget or operation not considered before the program was closed? if these options were considered, why were they decided against?
• If the government is concerned about arts & culture, why is the art & culture sector not part of a formal consultation and review process of either federal arts spending or copyright legislation changes?

Sincerely,

Julianna Yau

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