Flat-Lined But Still Alive: Analyses of the Provincial and Territorial 2012-13 Budgets from the Perspective of Arts, Culture and Heritage

Abstract

Deficit reduction, social pressures, concerns about quality of life, and the desire for a more creative economy are the backdrop for the provincial and territorial Budgets in 2012-13. Past patterns of support for the cultural sector helped shape each province and territory’s treatment of culture in these budgets, but at the same time, breaks in past patterns made for an unpredictable environment. Some provinces and territories that have traditionally been highly supportive of the sector were forced by circumstances to retrench. Others that had been less generous in the past were re-examining their policies and considering a new approach. Some maintained an uneasy status quo in the face of worrisome developments elsewhere.