To be censored or not to be censored?
That is the question leader of the Parti Québécois Jean-François Lisée tackled while he unveiled their cultural platform on Tuesday morning.
“Is it a quality play? It’s controversial? Well, that is part of what art does,” Lisée said.
He added he would have allowed the controversial Robert Lepage shows to go on if he had been premier of Québec.
“Had I been premier, I would’ve said, ‘I’m going to act to ensure that a quality production like Kanata is available for viewing, criticism, controversy, and I would have directed my minister of culture to meet the producers.”
Indigenous rights activist Nakuset furiously said she thinks Lisée’s intentions are not well placed and insisted he must be playing politics.
At the news conference where Lisée laid out his cultural plans for the province, he said it’s all in an effort to promote artistic expression.
“We have subsidies for the arts and the cinema and the criteria for subsidizing is quality and you never should say, ‘This is going to be controversial so I won’t help it get to market because it’s controversial.'”
Nakuset said she isn’t buying it and wants to see concrete actions.
“There’s nothing to stop you right this moment from going to have that conversation with Robert Lepage — you can do that right now too. But, if you are just waiting for the elections to happen to do that, what really is your motive?”