ArtsVote Niagara ties Communist Candidate for top grade in Arts and Culture policy

ArtsVote Niagara released the results of its 2011 provincial election candidate survey.  I got a B, which is lower than the A I got in the federal election, but is tied with the Green and Liberal candidates for first place in Niagara.  Note that Tim Hudak is again a no-show and did not even bother responding.

The survey itself is available at
http://artsvoteniagara.ca/downloads/ArtsVote_Survey-Prov-2011.pdf

My answer to the open-ended question in Section 2, about the candidate's overall position on arts and culture, is:

"In a capitalist system, where one class owns the wealth and another class must work for that class in order to survive, public funding for the arts is the only way to promote a democratic culture that can counter patriarchy, racism, and capitalism and imperialism itself through creating a space for self-expression for the working class, women, and minorities and oppressed sections of society that is counter to the interests of the market and capitalist class. Arts should be seen as a public utility and not as a cost, as every dollar spent and Ontarian involved in the arts has a large social payoff in cultural and political progress.  If Arts funding is not defended and expanded, and education about the importance of the arts is not carried out into the public, then only culture that perpetuates patriarchy, racism, and imperialism which is in the interest of the corporations enjoying record profits will prevail. Promoting peace and preventing war itself can be done through promoting friendship between the peoples of the world through cultural exchanges, and likewise countering sexism, homophobia, racism, and discrimination domestically can be done through supporting the artistic expression of the marginalized and bringing it into wide public circulation.

The Communist Party believes in defending the arts budget, including Canadian Content and the CBC, from cuts that attack public services working people need for a good quality of life as part of a process that is shifting the tax burden from corporations who can afford it (and are not creating jobs with their record profits) to those who cannot, the working class.

I have been combining my involvement in the Arts and my involvement in Politics since 9/11 with the Zi Collective I co-founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which did political guerrilla theatre as well as public screenings of political films.  I write film reviews for the People’s Voice newspaper and Rebel Youth magazine, the periodical of the Young Communist League (YCL). Through my involvement with the Cuban Canadian Friendship Association I promote solidarity and friendship between peoples through cultural exchanges and organizing cultural events in Niagara."

Press Coverage:

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3307578
"Candidates graded on commitment to arts, culture"
By Angela Scappatura of the St. Catharines Standard covers the results for most of the candidates in the four Niagara ridings.

Unfortunately the next two stories only refer to "the three candidates", ignoring the Communist candidate as well as the Green who tied for first place as well as 3 other candidates

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3317391

"The arts are rarely an issue in elections"
By Angela Scappatura of the St. Catharines Standard

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3317393

"The devil you know? Arts organizations fear massive change"
By Angela Scappatura of the St. Catharines Standard