NDP calls on Conservatives for arts money

The NDP is calling on the Conservatives to do more for the arts.

The new official opposition has unveiled its new arts caucus which includes a Juno award-winning musician, the former vice president of ACTRA and the former artistic director of Cirque du Soleil.

If the NDP is able to get its way, the Canada Council for the Arts would see an increase to its budget and artists would be allowed to get income averaging to help with their taxes.

“The average income for an artist in this country is $13,000 a year. That’s below the poverty line,” Quebec MP Tyrone Benskin said.

He added these measures would be a great investment because this is an $85-billion-a-year industry.

But when questioned about the total costs to the government, Ontario MP Charlie Angus couldn’t give an answer.

“We don’t have the exact number on us now,” he said.

He also wouldn’t give a timeline for when these initiatives should roll out. This led to many questions about how prepared the New Democrats were for this news conference.

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