CanCult.ca

The chairwoman of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association thinks so.

Recent cuts to cultural programs appear to be haphazard slicing without any sense behind them, Sandra Cunningham, chair of the CFTPA, told CBC News on Monday.

“I’d love to know,” she said, when asked what she thought the thinking was behind the cuts.

Cunningham said Heritage Minister Josée Verner’s office has not responded to requests for an explanation from the industry.

The cuts seem to be coming from much higher up, without input from the heritage ministry, she said.

“I think they don’t care. They don’t care about building this sector. It’s not been high on the radar screen of this particular government,” Cunningham said, though she added that other conservative governments have not been so short-sighted.

“To make the announcement on a Friday in August without any kind of press releases or public statement attached to it. It begs the question of ‘what message are you sending?’”

“We have asked to meet with the Heritage Ministry and Department of Foreign Affairs and asked for a meeting and received no reply.”

Previously:

• Tories slash arts funding… and then stab it a few times more for good measure
• A no-brainer indeed
• Wondering what those arts grants funded?
• Tories axe more arts programs
• “Counterintuitive and counterproductive”
• “Support for arts and culture are among the most efficient investments a government can make”