Canadians will head to the ballot boxes on April 28 to cast their votes in the 2025 federal election.
Before Manitobans make their decisions, Classic 107 is focusing in on what each of the parties that represent the province on Parliament Hill are saying about how their party will handle the arts and culture file.
The Conservative Party of Canada (who did not respond to multiple requests for an interview) has laid out a few ideas on arts and culture in their 30-page platform. A core tenet of their fiscal plan is a long-standing promise to defund the CBC, which received $1.4 billion in public funds in 2024.
“English-language CBC should be a Canadian-owned, self-sufficient media organization that is a not-for-profit and supported by listeners, donations, sponsorships, ad revenue, and licensing revenue,” the party’s platform reads.
At the same time, the Conservatives plan on continuing support for the CBC’s French language counterpart Radio-Canada across the country. This party has also committed to maintaining all funding for cultural endeavours in Francophone communities and in Quebec.
The Conservatives have committed to supporting other arts and culture projects, including a promise to fund what they describe as “the first made-in-Canada documentaries about Canadians’ contributions to winning the World Wars so future Canadians do not forget the courage and sacrifice of those generations and their stories live on.” The party’s platform has also provided for $25 million to support media in Indigenous languages, though it’s unclear whether that funding would support arts projects as that promise was listed under a heading that talked about other commitments and promises surrounding the news media.
This story will be updated to reflect any comment provided by the Conservative Party ahead of election day.