DEAR COLLEAGUES:

I am sure that you have all heard about the recent cuts by the Conservative government to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) cultural programs and several programs at Canadian Heritage including Trade Routes and CASP, and, like myself, you are concerned not only about the immediate impact, but that this could be a precursor to more and deeper cuts.

The cuts to DFAIT and to Trade Routes will have a direct impact on our ability at Magnetic North to bring international presenters to Canada. Over the past several years the festival has been the recipient of small grants from DFAIT and Trade Routes, which have allowed us to invite significant international theatre presenters to Canada for our Industry Series. These international presenters – many of whom have never come to Canada before – are frequently so impressed with the quality and skill of Canadian talent that they invite these productions to their international festivals.

We have been careful with our money and wise in our choice of recipients and as a result, 37% of the productions that have been showcased to international buyers at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival have been contracted to tour abroad - a significant success rate. Buyers often return to Canada to purchase additional Canadian products in subsequent years. Often the investment made by Canada through Trade Routes and Promart is merely the price of the airfare!

We at Magnetic North feel that now is the time to protest these cuts to the government, and to state clearly and plainly that these programs are of great benefit to Canadian artists, to our ability to promote work internationally and to the economy in general.

To that end, we would like to invite you, as a past Magnetic North participant and therefore, as someone who has benefited from the DFAIT and Trade Routes programs, to join us in a letter writing campaign. But rather than write the letter yourselves, we would ask that you press your volunteers and board members to write letters to the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and your local MPs.

This government views artists as a "special interest group" who are fighting for their own interests. Volunteers on the other hand, are seen as voters, people who might contribute to political parties.

Letters to local MPs across the country will only be helpful if they arrive in huge volume. Politicians understand numbers. Furthermore, the letters should be different in form, even if they all address the same content. A slew of identical letters will be treated as a petition and dismissed out of hand. To that end, instead of attaching a sample letter to be printed and mailed, I have attached a page of "talking points".

You might need to tailor this attached sheet for your volunteers, providing them with specific information. Personal stories are very effective, as is a concise and brief letter. A well-placed quote from key corporate supporters of your organization could help strengthen your case.

I have also attached a page of address labels for the Prime Minster and some key ministers. Your local MP can be found at this web page:

http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

Letters to the Houses of Parliament do not need a stamp, so be sure to stress this point to your volunteers and board members. It won't cost them a cent except for printing the letter!

Yours,
Ken Cameron
Artistic Director
Magnetic North Theatre Festival

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

DOWNLOADS:
DFAIT cuts talking points (44Kb DOC)
DFAIT protest labels (60 Kb DOC)