A look at Ottawa's cultural spending

Spending on federal government cultural programs is often seen as the litmus test between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives often view such spending with a sceptical eye; liberals, particularly in Canada, tend to place a higher priority on such spending. Or at least that’s the theory.

In the Main Estimates for fiscal 2008, which ends on March 31, 2008, tabled this morning by the Conservative government, spending on all cultural programs will total about $3.87-billion, or about $1.84 for every $100 of government spending. So how does that compare to previous years? Well, overall  spending in fiscal 2008 on cultural  programs like Parks Canada or the CBC or federal museums, will be $14.5-million or 0.4 per cent less than Fiscal 2007. But spending on cultural programs in the second year of Stephen Harper's Conservative government will be $509-million or 15.2 per cent more than it was in in fiscal 2006, the last year of Paul Martin's Liberal government.
Again: the Tories, in fiscal 2008 will allocate about $1.84 of every $100 of federal spending on cultural programs. In fiscal 2007, the proportion was a little higher – about $1.95 per $100 but it was just $1.81 per $100 for the last year of Paul Martin's government.

The single biggest item of cultural program spending is the cost of operating the Department of Canadian Heritage – about $1.4-billion  in fiscal 2008.
The second biggest, though, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which will receive 27 per cent or $1.05-billion of all federal tax dollars that will be spent on cultural programs in fiscal 2008. The CBC got a bigger slice of the cultural pie under the Liberals in fiscal 2006, with 29.2 per cent of all cultural spending even though the overall amount was smaller at $982-million.
The amount of federal tax dollars going to the CBC grew between fiscal 2006, the last year of the Martin Liberals and fiscal 2007, the first year of the Harper Conservatives, from $982-million to $1.1-billion. But funding to the CBC from the federal treasury has been trimmed for fiscal 2008 by $68-million or 6.1 per cent.

The biggest winners in terms of increases for Fiscal 2008 compared to Fiscal 2007 for cultural spending:

• Canada Council for the Arts. Will receive $181-million from the treasury, up $31-million  or 20.5 per cent from fiscal 2007 and up $31-million or 20.7 per cent compared to fiscal 2006.
• Canadian Museum of Nature. Will receive $84-million, up $25-million or 42 per cent compared to FY07 and up 28.7-million or 52 per cent compared to FY06.
• Parks Canada Agency. Will receive $599-million in FY08, up $21.2-million or 3.7 per cent compared to FY07 and up $114-million or 23.7 per cent compared to FY06.
• Library and Archives Canada. Will receive $119-million, up $10.2-million or 9.4 per cent compared to FY07 and $26.4-million or 28 per cent compared to FY06.

The CBC takes the biggest year-over-year hit among cultural spending items. The other losers for cultural spending in fiscal 2008 are:

• The Deparment of Canadian Heritage. Spending is cut to $1.4-billion, down $21-million or 1.6 per cent compared to FY07 but still up $244-million or 21.9 per cent compared to FY06.
• Telefilm Canada. Spending cut to $104.6-million, down $20.4-million or 16.3 per cent compared to FY07 and down $19.2-million or 15.5 per cent compared to FY06.
• Status of Women – Office of the Coordinator. Spending cut to $19.9-million, down $4.7-million or 19.2 per cent compared to FY07 and down $3.5-million or 15 per cent compared to FY06.