Internal federal records show that Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore rejected the advice from bureaucrats and an analysis by a panel of five independent experts who collectively received about $40,000 to travel to nation's capital and review applications for the funding.
Instead, he announced last fall that the $3.25 million in funding would be split between the two winning bids in 2012, under a 10-year-old federal program that recognized "cultural capitals" of Canada among three different categories, based on population.
In an interview, Moore explained that the documents obtained by Postmedia News didn't tell the full story about discussions that followed with department officials and their recommendations about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.
But he acknowledged that the entire program was being cancelled at the end of the year because it was promoting regional division and rivalries by pitting cities against each other across Canada.
A memorandum, dated July 8 and sent to Moore from his deputy minister, Daniel Jean, noted that all of the applications for 2012 funding were evaluated in detail by the independent committee of "experienced practitioners in the field of arts and culture" who reached a "consensus" on the three choices, including the town of Tadoussac in eastern Quebec.
"The advisory committee concluded that this village of 871 inhabitants (Tadoussac) is a model for other small communities which have not yet made as serious a commitment to arts, culture and heritage," said the memo, released under access-to-information legislation to Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin.
Apart from Tadoussac, the committee also recommended the western Quebec town of Rouyn-Noranda, as well as Niagara. Moore ultimately decided on Sept. 12 to accept their recommendation for Niagara, but reject the Quebec proposals in order to recognize Calgary as a cultural capital of Canada in 2012.
Hugues Tremblay, the mayor of Tadoussac said he was appalled to hear how the decision was made after his municipality spent years of work crafting their cultural policies and activities.
"It's petty politics," Tremblay said, noting his municipality also relied on volunteers since it didn't have resources to hire private firms to prepare their application. "Politics shouldn't be done this way. . . . If ever I had to start doing things like that (in municipal politics), I would rather pick up my bags and go home."
But Moore rejected allegations of wrongdoing, which were also raised by the Opposition New Democrats, and the local Quebec mayors, who said they were "disgusted" by the situation.
Moore said he was cancelling the program at the end of this year, in part because he was frustrated by complaints that surface every year from regional rivalries between applicants.
"This exact concern and the way that people try to politicize this is why we're not going forward with this program and instead we're just going to fund events on a go-forward basis, because this idea of 'my city versus your city,' is not the way that culture funding should be done," Moore said, explaining that all cities would be encouraged in the future to apply for federal funding for activities of cultural significance.
Mario Provencher, the mayor of Rouyn-Noranda, said his town has decided to declare itself a cultural capital of Canada, but admits his trust in the federal government has been shaken because of the selection process.
"I'm extremely disappointed because I always thought there was a lot of transparency in the (decision-making) process," he said.
"I think there's a bit of a dishonesty towards municipalities like ours that put in efforts to mobilize the population to live an experience of (being recognized as) a cultural capital of Canada."
NDP MP Christine Moore, who represents the western Quebec riding that is home to Rouyn-Noranda, suggested that the minister should apologize and immediately seize an opportunity to promote Quebec culture by offering funding to the two towns that were rejected.
"He didn't respect the recommendations of his department and the two cities he chose just happen to be in Conservative ridings, and the ones he pushed aside are not in Conservative ridings," said the New Democrat MP. "It's absolutely disgusting to do this to volunteers who worked hours and hours (to prepare the proposal) and he's laughing in their face."
While Niagara has a host of activities commemorating the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812, the city of Calgary is planning numerous events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, the Calgary Public Library, as well as the Pumphouse and Grand Theatres.
The independent committee of experts praised the Niagara region for integrating its cultural plan with other policies, following an "extensive consultation," that produced 26 "ambitious" and "innovative" projects for the year.
They also praised Rouyn-Noranda's "dynamic proposal," for articulating a "clear vision" that "strives to broaden the influence of the city beyond its boundaries," Moore was told.
Tadoussac, for its part, was recognized because it made a clear commitment to culture as a means for social and economic development, which builds on its history as a "meeting place where European and aboriginal cultures intermingled."
"Community support is strong, promising momentum for the events which will occur throughout the year of designation," said the memo. "Tadoussac's proposal is based on a long tradition of openness and welcome, and is rooted in the knowledge that when citizens are proud of their community, their infectious enthusiasm transmits itself to their visitors."
Federal policies on culture in Quebec have been an Achilles heel for Prime Minister Stephen Harper ever since the 2008 election. His government's decision to cut some programs designed to promote artists on the international stage caused a substantial drop in Harper's popularity in Quebec at the time.
But Harper's heritage minister said that any notion of political motivations behind funding decisions was "nonsense" noting that his own hometown of Port Moody, B.C., would have been a candidate for the "cultural capitals" program in 2013 when it is celebrating its own centennial anniversary.
"So if this were political, I think I would probably be continuing the program," Moore said.
The records released through access to information also noted that French-language media coverage of the announcement of the winning cities was mainly negative, while English-language coverage was largely positive, with a few exceptions, including an online poll by the Calgary Sun that reported 55 per cent of respondents thought the designation of Calgary as a cultural capital was "a bit of a joke."
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Mike De Souza
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