Capital Ideas

In a recent interview on The Hub, the former Canadian Heritage minister James Moore recalled how, during the 2008 federal election, a sleeper issue was lurking in cultural policy. It flared up after the Conservative government reallocated $45 million in funding, triggering consequences that he described as “tectonic” and “searing,” particularly in Quebec. “It’s arguable,” he said ruefully, “we lost our opportunity to win a majority government in 2008 over arts and culture.”

Moore remembers keeping “lids on pots” in his early days at Heritage, but he proved to be one of the department’s most engaged ministers, holding the post for five years. And as prime minister, Stephen Harper keenly supported at least one culture file, national capital commemorations, championing eight such projects between 2008 and 2015. Of these, six were substantially completed during his time in office — a tour de force of “deliverology” that left a distinguished legacy in the...