by matttbastard
Which is more “nanny-state”: a strong social safety net, or a government that lets fundies decide what art is and isn’t worthy of public funding?
A well-known evangelical crusader is claiming credit for the federal government’s move to deny tax credits to TV and film productions that contain graphic sex and violence or other offensive content.
Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, said his lobbying efforts included discussions with Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, and “numerous” meetings with officials in the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We’re thankful that someone’s finally listening,” he said yesterday. “It’s fitting with conservative values, and I think that’s why Canadians voted for a Conservative government.”
Mr. McVety said films promoting homosexuality, graphic sex or violence should not receive tax dollars, and backbench Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers support his campaign.
“There are a number of Conservative backbench members that do a lot of this work behind the scenes,” he said.
[…]
Conservative MP Dave Batters recently urged the new president of Telefilm Canada, Michel Roy, to block federal funding for objectionable films, listing Young People Fucking as a recent example.
“In my mind, sir, and in the minds of many of my colleagues and many, many Canadians,” said Mr. Batters during a Jan. 31 meeting of the Canadian Heritage committee, “the purpose of Telefilm is to help facilitate the making of films for mainstream Canadian society – films that Canadians can sit down and watch with their families in living rooms across this great country.”
Please, take your not-so-hidden “conservative values” and *ahem* do something offensive with them (other than continually fucking with Canadian values, dig?)
Update: more from we move to canada and Dan @ More Notes From Underground, who wonders if right wing defenders of latter-day free speech crusader (snerk) Ezra Levant will also stand up for Young People Fucking?
Bueller? Bueller?
bastard.logic 
Thanks for posting this Mattt. One thing that is really interesting about this sneaky attack on censoring film and television content is that they went for an economic policy instrument — a tax credit that rewards productions that create jobs as a method of growing the film and television industry. These so-con Dominionist zealots are willing to sacrifice sound economic policy for their agenda.
I am wondering why they didn’t go after content creation programs such as Canada Council film grants, Telefilm investments or the CTF (Canadian Television Fund) funding (to match TV licenses). I guess that would be too obvious and difficult to hide.
Instead they buried this in an omnibus housekeeping (600 pages) Bill. By doing so, they made it easy to circumvent public and political scrutiny while rendering other sources of public financing irrelevant should the amendment pass.
So I am left wondering if this was a stroke of dumb luck or sheer genius. Regardless, I intend to send letters to all Senators with one iota of democratic decency.
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