Amidst the hubbub that is the Olympics the Canadian Conservative government announced that it has cancelled the PromArt programme. The programme has been seen as both a “gravy train” as well as a vital means for exposing Canadian music, art and talent to the world stage.
It’s great to hear the spokesperson for the minister of foreign affairs say things like
I don’t even want to say [their name] on the phone,” she said. “Holy F – that was one that was flagged.
Seriously? A band’s name is so important, so key to the Canadian image, that it can help cancel an entire programme that has been an important launchpad for many Canadian talents over the years?
If the government is so keen on taking “a more disciplined approach” to managing spending, perhaps looking at the criteria used to select projects would be a better start? But why waste the time, we don’t really have much to say as Canadians, eh, so let’s just throw that baby out with that bathwater.