CANNING: The Canadian Arts Coalition urges all Canadians to recognise the importance of the arts when they go to vote.
To support this, the Coalition is launching ArtsVote 2025 with home election kits that can be downloaded from their site, along with social media tools that anyone can use. ArtsVote 2025 aims to ensure that the role of the arts in our communities is part of the national conversation.
It invites all Canadians to participate in a path forward for Canada where arts and culture hold a central role.
The kits include posters to hang in windows, social media picture frames, and questions to ask candidates to ensure the conversation is being had in every riding.
ADVERTISEMENT:
The social media tools encourage all Canadians to promote the importance of arts and culture online.
The Canadian Arts Coalition is made up of member organizations and individuals representing thousands of cultural workers and artists from across Canada. The CAC asks all parties to commit to allocating a minimum of one percent of the annual federal budget to arts and culture, which is an increase of only 0.06% from current levels.
This would include increases to the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage.
While the specifics of the funding ask are all available on the Coalition website, the ArtVote campaign is grassroots: everyone is to be able to participate and make their voice heard no matter whether they work in the arts sector directly or are a supporter.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Cultural expression is vital to every single riding and neighbourhood of the country.
“From dance classes to film sets, from school band to live theatre, there are cultural workers and organizations that enrich the lives of Canadians every single day, but the sector is struggling with the effects of the last few years.
“Loss of donors and sponsorship, inflation and now the increased costs of essential materials are making the sector more precarious.”
The Canadian Arts Coalition is eager to also help arts organizations show their importance as places of civic connection during the election.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Cultural venues across the country that are getting involved, from handing out the nonpartisan election kits, to hosting candidate debates, to being polling places.
The Canadian Arts Coalition also urges students to get involved.
“We are connecting with both professors and student unions at universities, conservatories, and art schools. We want them to be involved in determining their future not only in their career path but through the electoral process.”
It is vital for candidates to hear from Canadians all across the country, both in person and on social media that the arts matter to them and to their communities. Every single vote matters.
