Author Topic: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again  (Read 14151 times)

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« on: July 12, 2009, 04:12:14 pm »
Maybe you've heard (probably not) that the Minister of State for Tourism Diane Ablonczy has been punished for giving pride parade cash.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/07/07/pride-parade-toronto-ablonczy-trost-federal.html?ref=rss

Well from the Globe & Mail comes a great opinion satirical piece written by Tabatha Southey. Sure the Gay Pride Week was alloted some 400 000$, but the Calgary Stampede was awarded 5 times as much and various Jazz Festivals across the country (including the Montreal Jazz Festival, 2 300 000$) got a huge part of the 100 000 000$ tourism promotion pie.

(continued on the next post)
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2009, 04:17:38 pm »
From the Globe & Mail

 
Pride and Prejudice by Tabatha Southey
The Tories may be upset about gay parades, but I object to publicly funded sax and violins

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/pride-and-prejudice/article1214816/

Much like Conservative MP Brad Trost – who, in a statement to LifeSiteNews.com this week, claimed that Tourism Minister Diane Ablonczy's decision to fund Toronto's Gay Pride events had come as a shock to most of the Conservative caucus – I, too, am troubled by some of the choices that our government has made in supporting cultural events.

In fact, I'm glad that we're finally talking about this issue, because I really don't enjoy jazz music.

Our government funds many cultural events, but it always seems to me that they fund a lot of jazz festivals. What with the CBC playing so much jazz, one could easily start to believe that our government has a pro-jazz agenda.

Not that I consider myself anti-jazz, you understand, any more than the group to which Mr. Trost directed his comments is necessarily anti-gay. They're just pro-family. And I'm just pro-music.

I don't mind other people liking jazz. What people listen to behind closed doors is their own business. I accept it: Jazz happens. I just don't see why we need to use tax dollars to promote it.

I'm not saying that jazz should (necessarily) be illegal – I just don't want to see bands in the streets or hear jazz emanating from some depressing beer tent, ruining an otherwise perfectly nice city park.

In contrast to my stroll through this year's Gay Pride celebration, during which I saw exactly two sets of naked breasts (which because of a sadly underutilized legal ruling is permissible in Ontario) and one exposed penis (which is par for the course on any long walk through downtown Toronto; at least this one wasn't pissing on any public property), I'm shocked by the outfits people wear to these “jazz” events.

I just can't see how dressing that way helps their cause.

Jazz fans have just begun to reach a level of societal acceptance – not that you'd want them near your children with their Ken Burns box sets or near your stereo at a party. But with their ill-fitting Dockers, they're only setting themselves back.

My children don't need to see that sort of thing. And by “that sort of thing,” I do mean those shorts, sir; yes, those shorts. They are in opposition to our values.

And can't jazz fans buy one pair of adult shoes?

Oh, I know: “It's a stereotype,” they claim. They'll always tell you that most of them don't really dress like that – it's just that it's always the most flamboyantly unstylish participants that get shown on the evening news.

Honestly, if the government wants to use cultural events to stimulate the economy (just because it works), maybe they should bypass that nodding Thelonious Monk fan, smugly nursing a cranberry juice in some misguided bar, and give the money straight to the makers of Wallabee shoes.

Or let's restrict jazz to brunch. They deserve each other.

Now, I don't know what my bitching about jazz festivals can achieve here. Once, I'd have assumed that the answer was, “Nothing. Don't go if you don't get it. Go to the Stampede instead.”

But then the Tourism Minister, Ms. Ablonczy, was relieved of the task of distributing the funds for the Marquee Tourism Events Program shortly after she supported Toronto's Pride events – with funds used primarily to hire entertainment and increase accessibility.

It appears that she was caught running what fellow Conservative MP Dona Cadman has since called “an inclusive and responsive portfolio,” and the party couldn't let that stand.

Just shortly earlier, the Institute for Canadian Values, run by Rev. Charles McVety (the champion of that ridiculous attempt at film censorship, Bill C-10), called on “the Prime Minister to reverse the path he has chosen” of supporting “spiritually destructive … sex parades.”

So maybe I'm wrong and there'll be no more jazz festivals next year.

I don't find them very inclusive. Pride, in contrast, is full of gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual and transgendered people and diverse families from across North America, with strollers and kids hoisted up on their parents' shoulders, all celebrating what is arguably the most inclusive event in Canada.

Pride is for everyone who doesn't hate gay people. Or parades, I guess.

I maintain that most Canadians don't hate gay people. And I do hate parades, but I make an exception for Pride because, with the good-natured police officers and the army recruiting booth and some members of Canada's armed forces marching and the hotels full, the bars brimming, the DJs playing and people celebrating, it makes me feel blessed to be Canadian now.
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2009, 04:31:12 pm »
This is the photo that likely got the 'family values' all upset.

from the Star newpapter here in Toronto: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/662566


Federal Tourism Minister Diane Ablonczy, centre, is flanked by TD Bank community relations vice-president Scott Mullin, burlesque performer Ceci My Playmate, Melo de Melo, Carlotta Carlisle and Pride Toronto executive director Tracey Sandilands at the grant announcement June 15, 2009 in Toronto.

"The TV shots of her with transvestites inflamed some people," the source said.

Another Tory insider agreed the sight of drag queens with the minister caused Ablonczy "big-time" trouble because she had not cleared her attendance at the event with Harper's office.
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Offline Kelda

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2009, 05:36:01 pm »
oh for god sake do people not have better htings to moan about!?!  :P
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Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2009, 07:31:42 pm »
oh for god sake do people not have better htings to moan about!?!  :P

I guess not.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... YET again
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2009, 04:13:03 pm »
The conservatives in charge of the federal government are taking a page from the Ontario Conservative (Harris) government of the 1990's - and revisited in the past decade by American Republicans in power.

They've now denied Montreal Pride (Diver/Cité) the 155 000$ for which the application met all the criteria. Reason given?

the tourism program had received so many requests, the government had to make a choice.

How transparent!

In Canada, in today's less prejudiced society, they (the Conservatives) are merely shooting themselves in the foot. - yet again. They are evidently giving in to their very small anti-gay/Christian values base.

Bye bye Conservatives. We won't miss you.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/tories-reject-funding-for-montreal-gay-festival/article1226690/
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... YET again
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2009, 04:29:10 pm »
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/07/22/montreal-diverscite-funding.html

"To be told that there is no money, when there is. They have $100 million put aside; they chose not to give to Divers/Cité. The reasons … we don’t know. Is it we're gay? Is it we're Montrealers? We’re Québécois? It's incredible they would decide at this late date, five days before our event starts,” said Girard.

"Per capita, we bring in more tourism than any other festival in Canada. And you can ask any Montreal taxi driver, the hotels … about our impact on Montreal … we are a niche market, we are an extremely important tourism event," said Girard.

_________________________________________________

As a side note ... It's been said that the Toronto Pride event attracted roughly the same number of participants as in past years. The parade was attended by roughly 1 000 000 people (as has been the case every year for over a decade) in spite of the fact that it rained all morning and into the start of the afternoon of the Sunday parade.

And the same has not been the case for other important festivals in Toronto (or even the Calgary Stampede). Most excuses include the declining economy and, more recently the Toronto garbage strike that is today entering it's second month.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/29/content_11618508.htm

Pride Week is a huge tourist draw with participants pumping more than 80 million Canadian dollars (68 million U. S. dollars) into the city's economy every year.

    The annual event has recently been named Canada's best festival by the Canadian Special Events Industry.
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... YET again
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2009, 04:50:12 pm »
This, from Toronto's gay press Xtra

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Tories_reject_funding_for_Montreals_gay_arts_and_culture_festival-7167.aspx

Despite the claim that money in the tourism program is limited, the Tories have found plenty of cash for other festivals. Today, Clement's office announced two large grants under the Marquee Tourism Events Program: the Calgary Folk Festival will receive $155,000 and Les FrancoFolies de Montreal gets $1.5 million.
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... YET again
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2009, 04:59:39 pm »
Apparently, Vancouver's gay pride has also been refused funding ...

À Vancouver, les organisateurs du festival gai et lesbien de Vancouver auraient aussi essuyé un refus.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2009/07/22/002-diverscite-ottawa-subvention.shtml
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Canadian Conservatives in cultural hot water ... again
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2009, 05:07:15 pm »
Lovely comment from a reader of that last quoted source:

Sous leur règne, le Canada est devenu plus républicain que les États-Unis.

roughly translated ... Under their (the conservatives) leadership, Canada has become more Republican than the U.S.

Agree 28
Disagree 4
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