Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On February 10, the Department of Foreign Affairs very quietly released its new guidelines on the funding of the arts. The new
policy provides that, in order to be sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs, cultural projects will have to promote national unity.
Given that the Department of Foreign Affairs is violating the freedom of expression of artists by restricting funding to cultural projects that promote Canada, will the minister pledge to transfer his department's cultural program to the Canada Council, which is an independent organization with no political ties whose mandate is precisely to manage support for artists?