Are Arts Funders Starting to Define the Art?

With the precipitous decline of democracy in the United States, it is all too easy to ignore that Canada’s democracy is in decline as well. We ignore the signs at our peril.

On May 13, the Alberta government passed Bill 28 which amends the Libraries Act to grant the Minister of Municipal Affairs, currently Dan Williams, authority over “management, administration or operation” of every public library in the province. The Bill gives the Minister unprecedented power to issue “any order that the Minister considers appropriate.” 

Responses to each paragraph of Alberta MLA Nate Glubish’s letter to a constituent publicly defending Government Bill 28 that authorizes provincial takeover of Alberta public libraries.