“…You should be ashamed…” is what my mother wrote after I sent out a Globe&Mail article to some of my friends and family on-line. I thought Margaret Atwood had penned a profound statement about the importance of the arts in our society. Mom felt it was “hate mail” and lies about Canadian Prime Minister Harper and cc’ed her response to all my friends and family: “…You should be ashamed…”

I grew up in central Alberta, wheat between my teeth, Jesus hanging around my neck in full execution, moose steaks in the deep freeze and a gay uncle we dubbed “Uncle Dud”. I can ride a Ski-doo, chop wood, catch a chicken, do a home perm, bake a Saskatoon pie and play ringette. So what happened to me? Since moving to Vancouver I do yoga, eat sushi, drive a Japanese car, hang out with “gays” and have become an “artsy fartsy”.

Every Christmas dinner we have some sort of heated debate about arts funding, same sex marriage, government assistance…and I call someone a redneck and they call me a bleeding heart liberal and then my step father usually cracks a witty joke and thankfully changes the subject. But this time the gloves are off. I can’t let this one slide.

You need to understand, my mother is my best friend. She’s Mrs. Cleaver with a hot bod and a saucy wink. She can sing a baby to sleep in her left arm while shooting gophers through the head with a BB gun in the left. She’s been through certain kinds of hell that would render most people fearful and bitter but Mom remains ferociously cheerful, open hearted and optimistic about life. I love her beyond comprehension and she better be immortal. When I meet with her disapproval, which is rare, it rattles me to the core.

Family Politics

So how do I stand up for what I believe in and not cause a rift in the family? Why do politics get so personal? Maybe because I make an emotional vote instead of an informed intellectual one…? Damn I hate it when I’m smart enough to know when I’m being stupid.

Okay. So I googled, read, listened, watched, gathered, hunted and even prayed over this upcoming election and the issues I felt strongly about. Good heavens, am I actually becoming a responsible citizen?! It’s only taken me forty years.

I wrote Mom back about funding for the arts in the practical language she speaks: fiscal responsibility and work ethic. This is some of what I wrote:

“We have no artistic elite in this country. The average yearly income of an artist in Canada is barely above the poverty line. Artists typically work very long hours with few if any benefits, little CPP and no unemployment insurance. The volunteer hours are immense. For one of the richest countries in the world, we’re one of the worst for supporting our artists and fostering our culture on a government, corporate and philanthropic level. It is no wonder we struggle with Canadian identity. The USA, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Germany and many others have us beat. Yet despite this, Canadian artists have managed to make a world name for themselves in all fields and Arts and Culture contribute 26 billion dollars to our economy yearly. Studies have shown: for every dollar the government invests in the arts, ten dollars are generated.

The new 50 million dollar cuts cover several things, in particular the Independent film and video fund which goes into creating educational documentaries and the Trade Routes program which promotes Canadian artists abroad and nationally to gain exposure and grow their audience. (Read a decent article about this is on AltWeeklies.com.)

A country that undermines the value of its arts and culture is a sign of National spiritual bankruptcy.”

And now to put my money where my mouth is, I’ve written several letters to my government and I’ll be participating in a demonstration on Monday October 6 at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver called Wrecking Ball. I’m joined by Spirit Of The West, Bill Richardson, Judith Thompson and Michael Turner. Most importantly though, through all this, I discovered what I believed in and why and I will exercise my democratic right and vote in this upcoming election.

My Mom wrote back and one of the things she said was:

“Thanks for your overview. I’m sure I am among the vast majority of Canadians who are quite unaware of these facts.”

She countered a few points, fairly so, then ended with:

“I’m very proud of you.”

Then she had to end the email because she was off to haul rocks, build flower beds, install a deck, edge the trees, plant shrubs, mulch, lay gravel, seed the lawn and install an underground sprinkler system today.

. . . . . . .

Photo courtesy of Foxtongue