Venerable arts group closes shop

Casualty of Conservative vendetta, NDP claims

OTTAWA — A cultural group founded by artists including Group of Seven member Lawren Harris is suspending operations after 67 years, a victim of federal spending cuts.

The Canadian Conference of the Arts, the largest national alliance of the arts, culture and heritage sector, said Tuesday it will start winding down its work immediately.

The NDP said the funding cut was retaliation for the conference’s opposition to government proposals to amend copyright law.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Conservatives are punishing CCA for being a strong voice for the cultural community against the government’s changes to copyright legislation,” NDP heritage critic Pierre Nantel said.

The group said it was warned 18 months ago that the Harper government intended to end 47 years of funding.

It asked for two years of transitional financing while it weaned itself off public money, but was offered only six months of support.

The group said it found a lot of private backing, but its board decided it couldn’t make the shift in six months and opted to shut down immediately.

A spokesman for Heritage Minister James Moore said the conference got 60 per cent of its money from the federal treasury, including this year.

“Funding was provided to give the council the opportunity to work with individuals and groups it claims as its stakeholders to develop a new mandate and funding model,” Sébastien Gariépy said in an email.

Alain Pineau, the national director of the conference, posted a farewell message on the group’s website.

“This was not the way I was hoping to end my time with the CCA,” he said.

“But I leave knowing that all of us at the secretariat have given everything we had to make this transition a success.

“I can only hope that someone else will pick up the challenge. The Canadian cultural sector needs and deserves a CCA if it is to be effective and thrive.”