Arts in the Conservative budget

Arts groups in Canada are of mixed opinions regarding arts funding in the 2006 budget. James Adams in yesterday's Globe and Mail writes of its high points, including increased opportunities for private giving, and its not-so-high points, such as a substantial reduction in funding growth for the Canada Council, although still larger than previous years' allotments. A quote from COC general director Richard Bradshaw:

Basically, I think the government is abdicating responsibility for the quality of our lives and trying to put it on individuals...I think there should be a mix of private and public . . . but at the bottom of it all, for Christ's sake, Canada should grow up because we're a great and a very, very rich nation.