Election 2025: Canadian Federal Political Parties’ Arts and Culture Platforms

With the help of OC’s government relations advisor Eric Dubeau, OC will be keeping a close eye on relevant arts and culture policy announcements during the campaign, especially those with potential to affect orchestras.

Over the course of the campaign – and in the days that follow – we’ll be undertaking an analysis of arts and culture commitments within each of the main party platforms, as soon as possible after each platform is published. The analysis will be shared on this webpage.

Upcoming Events

Toronto and Online: ELECTORAL TOWNHALL ON ARTS AND CULTURE (IN ENGLISH)
Shaping the Future of Canada’s Cultural Sovereignty. Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 12 p.m., at OCAD University in Toronto and Online. Learn more and register
Montreal and online: FEDERAL ELECTIONS 2025: CULTURE DEBATE (IN FRENCH)
What visions for Canadian cultural sovereignty? Monday, April 14, 2025, 3:30 p.m., at HEC Montréal. Learn more and register

Bloc Québécois (BQ)

Notes

The BQ platform was launched March 29, and is available in French only. Notes below reflect a translation undertaken in-house for Orchestras Canada.

The following are several key platform elements items that may be of interest to Canadian orchestras.

Arts and culture 

The BQ states that they will “do everything in our power to protect culture in international trade accords, and to preserve intellectual property of content creators in the arts and information, whose advertising dollars are literally being pirated by Web Giants.”[1]

The BQ platform contains an entire section containing arts and culture commitment, including the following:

“Repatriate all federal legislative and funding powers pertaining to culture to Québec and create a Québécois Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTQ).”[2]

“Oppose the cancellation of the digital services tax that has been requested by Donald Trump.”[3]

“Reform federal funding programs for arts and culture to ensure that funds be better directed to organizations and presenters supporting Québécois culture.”[4]

“Reform copyright to account for challenges stemming from the digital age, including the obligation to divulge sources used by AI and a review of the fair use provisions”[5]

“That businesses no longer benefit from a tax credit for social media ad buys, to the detriment of traditional media”[6]

“Renewal of support measures for written press, including sharing ad revenues generated by Web Giants, newsroom support and support for the distribution of local newspapers.”[7]

“Allow artists to average their income over several years for tax purposes.”[8]

“Work with cultural industries and the Union des Artistes to facilitate artists’ access to employment insurance as seasonal workers.”[9]

Key points and analysis 

The BQ platform is typically rich with cultural policy proposals. Arts and culture is top of mind for the BQ – and for the people of Quebec.

The repatriation of cultural powers (legislative, funding, etc.) from the Federal to the National (Québécois) level is a long-standing BQ policy pillar.

The BQ’s platform positions the defense of culture and cultural sovereignty as key in 2025.

The proposed copyright reform and other measures aimed at protecting intellectual property developed in Quebec are consistent with asks from the Québec arts community.

The arts and culture platform is not costed.

[1] Bloc Québécois, Choisir le Québec : Plateforme politique 2025, 2025, page 7.

[2] Ibid, page 20.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid, page 21.

[8] Ibid, page 21.

[9] Ibid, page 21.

Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)

Arts and culture platform not yet available

Green Party of Canada (GPC)

Notes

The Green Party of Canada platform is embedded on their website and has been available since the election was called.

The platform is divided into 12 sections, each corresponding to a priority issue or theme for the Green Party: Affordable Housing, Climate Action, Peace and Security, Fair Taxation, More Health Care, Green Economy, Caring for Canadians, Strong Democracy, Stop The Hate, Emergency Preparedness, Disability Justice, Indigenous Reconciliation.

One section, Peace and Security, includes a link to a more detailed “Protecting Canada Plan.”

Arts and culture

Under Stop the Hate, the platform includes a commitment to “make online platforms fully responsible as publishers. This means they’ll be legally responsible for everything they publish, just like newspapers and TV stations.”[1]

The Protecting Canada Plan proposes “a public relations offensive that enrolls well- known Canadian personalities and cultural ambassadors to remind key international partners of our long history with them and the undeniable need for an independent Canada in world affairs”[2]

The online platform does not specifically make mention of arts and culture.

However, a media release dated March 30, 2025, includes the following:

“The Green Party of Canada is calling attention to the urgent need to protect and invest in Canadian arts, culture and media.”[3]

A statement from Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault: “The arts are the heartbeat of our society. They enrich our lives, foster creativity, preserve cultural diversity, and provide a platform for activism. Yet, artists and arts organizations across Canada are struggling under the weight of inadequate funding and political attacks on public broadcasting, not to mention the oligarchic forces of American owned social media multinationals.”[4]
- A statement in support of continuing to fund the CBC.[5]
- A call to restore the Canada Council for the Arts’ budget “to its 2021 level of $500 million. This would help alleviate the growing funding shortfall that has left many artists and arts organizations struggling to survive. Investing in the arts is not just about supporting individual artists – it is about strengthening the cultural fabric of Canada and ensuring that Canadian voices continue to be heard on the national and international stage.”[6]
- An acknowledgment that “arts funding has long been distributed unfairly, leaving many communities underfunded and overlooked”[7]
- A proposal “directing restored funds toward communities that have historically received less support.”[8]
- The suggestion that one way to achieve better regional distribution of Federal funding for the arts would be “implementing the Regional Development Agency model for arts funding, ensuring resources are distributed equitably and proportionately across the country. This model has been successfully used for other federal funding programs and could help ensure that artists – no matter where they live – receive the support they need to thrive.”[9]
- Additional quotes from Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault and Green MP Mike Morrice in support of the arts sector.[10]

Key points and analysis

Under “Green Economy”[11] and “Caring for Canadians”[12], the platform includes a commitment to introduce a Guaranteed Livable Income. This could be beneficial to artists and a number of cultural workers.

Under “Indigenous Reconciliation”[13] the platform includes a commitment to “Act on every Call to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission”[14]. Several of the Calls to Action refer to culture and the arts.