Mr. Speaker, I wish to add my support to the member for Dartmouth and the worthwhile issue that she has raised in the House today. I want to thank her for her ongoing and longstanding commitment to the arts and to those who create in this country.
I am disappointed by some of the views that I have been hearing from members from other parties. There seems to be an unwillingness to entertain this idea with the importance we would like to see it given. We believe that some of the hon. members who have spoken are missing the point. Some are using this as a vehicle to raise completely unrelated issues and others are being far too narrow in their scope in trying to view the issue being raised by the member for Dartmouth and in recognizing the importance of arts and culture in our society.
The hon. member pointed out that we live in the richest and most powerful civilization in the world. Yet in Canada, we are not paying adequate deference to the contribution that artists and those who create make to our society.
The point has been made that other worthwhile organizations or pursuits would also be seeking comparable recognition in our tax laws. It is failing to reflect the unique contribution that artists make to the cultural fabric of our society and that is where I believe the arguments put forward by the other parties fall short and fail. I wish the arguments were not so narrow.
The hon. member for Dartmouth pointed out the example of Ireland, where the arts and culture are valued and treasured in a passionate way. That country saw fit to allow the first $15,000 of copyright income to be a tax deduction. The impact on its economy or revenue base was only $14 million Canadian a year, a paltry sum in Ireland.
We believe that showing recognition would be so meaningful to those who create, but so insignificant in the global revenue generating capacity of Canada. We are in a surplus situation. In fact, we are in a $100 billion surplus situation that the government has seen fit to give away in tax cuts, but in its zeal to provide tax cuts it failed to provide for the important contribution that artists and creators make.
I wish we could see broader support for the motion in the House.