Kevin Krueger, minister of tourism, culture, and the arts, ducked and dodged questions in the house yesterday (August 31) regarding the province’s cuts to gaming grants from NDP opposition leader Carole James; NDP Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Herbert, critic for tourism, culture, and the arts; NDP housing critic Shane Simpson; NDP Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson, deputy critic for finance and public accounts; and NDP Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser, critic for community and rural development.

One highlight of his exchange with James included the following volley:

C. James: I know this minister has his answer ready. I'd like to ask the question first, and perhaps he can listen, unlike what he's been doing with the arts communities across British Columbia”¦.Again, my question is: how does this government explain throwing thousands of people out of work after they were told that the funds were secure and they're waiting for them?

Hon. K. Krueger: I forgot that it's question period, not answer period. I'm sorry for starting early there.

Below is a selection from the Hansard draft transcript of what transpired during yesterday afternoon's question period.

C. James: Every single day brings new evidence of this Premier's broken promises. On Friday afternoon the government sent letters to arts groups across B.C. informing them that their direct access grants had been cancelled — cancelled abruptly in spite of written and signed contracts, in spite of the minister's consistent reassurance that the money would be coming, cancelled after the groups had already planned programs and, in some cases, after the events had already taken place.

My question is to the Finance Minister. Will he explain his government's betrayal to B.C.'s arts communities, and will he explain why this government told them one thing before the election and did just the opposite after the election?

Hon. K. Krueger: This government places a tremendously high value on the contributions of the arts and cultural community to the social fabric of British Columbia as well as to our economy. It is a remarkable achievement that we have been able to fund, through the B.C. Arts Council, grants to these communities in almost the same amount, at almost the same levels as last year.

Turning to the matter of direct-access gaming, I'd welcome a follow-up question.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplemental.

C. James: If this is the way the government shows their support for arts and culture, we have a real problem in British Columbia, and the arts community has a big problem in British Columbia.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Continue, Member.

C. James: I know this minister has his answer ready. I'd like to ask the question first, and perhaps he can listen, unlike what he's been doing with the arts communities across British Columbia.

I'll read out a few groups that the minister might want to go and meet with right now: Museum of Northern B.C., Carousel Theatre, Victoria Symphony, Touchstone Theatre, Intrepid Theatre, Fraser Valley Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Vancouver International Dance Festival. These are just some of the groups that this government misled. They were told in writing that the government money would be coming, and then on Friday, all of a sudden, they were told: "Sorry, no funds for you."

Again, my question is: how does this government explain throwing thousands of people out of work after they were told that the funds were secure and they're waiting for them?

Hon. K. Krueger: I forgot that it's question period, not answer period. I'm sorry for starting early there.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: As I mentioned, the groups who are funded through the B.C. Arts Council have substantially the same funding as last year. The direct-access gaming funds are very often oversubscribed in demand and in applications. The Ministry of Housing and Social Development published, on August 24, the priority order that it would follow in deciding where the funds would go from direct-access gaming.

These priorities make sense to me, and I think they will to the members opposite. Firstly, programs that support low-income and disabled British Columbians; programs that provide food, shelter and support to at-risk individuals; programs that support community health services; programs that fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children; public safety programs; a limited number of arts and culture activities”¦.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

S. Herbert: My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, who seems to think it's funny that he's not answering questions. Hopefully, this'll be different.

The B.C. Liberal government promised $95,000 last year, $95,000 this year and $95,000 next year to the Vancouver Children's Festival, in gaming funds, to produce their festival. Now the festival is told that the government is tearing up this contract and that they won't be getting the promised investment. The thing is that they already spent the money, which the Minister of Tourism also assured them would be coming before the election.

How does the minister justify this betrayal and breach of trust?

Hon. K. Krueger: These are tremendously challenging times around the world for all jurisdictions — their revenues, their finances, their programs — and the direct access gaming funds from which these grants flow are far oversubscribed.

To continue the priority list that I offered to the Leader of the Opposition”¦

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: ”¦next are community education programs, such as day cares and preschools; public community facilities, like community halls and recreational facilities; youth and disabled sports; non-sport youth groups such as Scouts and cadets.

Surely, all members of this House respect these worthy organizations and believe that there has to be some sharing of the available funding.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

S. Herbert: The minister has got his message box down, but somehow it doesn't actually relate to the questions that we're asking here — because there is no answer to the question of how much the arts community has been betrayed by this government.

A typical letter — I've got one here, so the minister might actually want to read it — says this: "The branch has selected your organization to pilot the new three-year direct access program grant approval. Accordingly, we have approved '08-09, $95,000; approved '09-10, $95,000; and approved '10-11, $95,000."

Nowhere does it say: "maybe." Nowhere does it say: "You can't trust this government's word."

The children's festival, like many other cultural organizations, performed the work the government required of them when they signed on. Now the government won't pay them for the services that the government required them to perform, throwing their futures into doubt and non-profits provincewide into massive debt, forcing them to do massive layoffs.

Why should these charities pay for this government's incompetence, mismanagement and betrayal?

Hon. K. Krueger: To date, $53 million has been allocated to gaming grants for the year 2009-2010. The province considers applications for these grants four times per year.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: I have explained to members opposite that — like all other jurisdictions around the world since the financial troubles began on September 12, 2008 — our revenues do not stretch to cover all of the applications. So I've read to the members opposite a priority order by which decisions are being made.

D. Donaldson: On the second day of the 90th annual Bulkley Fall Fair this past weekend in Smithers, organizers received a letter stating that this year's gaming grant of $20,000 was cancelled. The notice was received after the fair had started. The fair is an event that is key to the local economy and vital to the livelihood of so many members of the grass-roots community in the region.

To the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts: does the minister believe it is fair and honest for the government to promise funding, then cancel it partway through an important community event?

Hon. K. Krueger: Fall fairs play a tremendous role in the communities and local economies where they occur. I've lived in Smithers. I've attended the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair, and it's certainly something that everyone on this side of the House cares about.

Interjection.

Hon. K. Krueger: But I'd ask the member opposite who is heckling, does she think that”¦.

Mr. Speaker: Member, through the Chair, please.

Hon. K. Krueger: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

Does any member opposite think that a program that supports low-income and disabled British Columbians is a lower priority than a fall fair? These are tough decisions that have to be made in government.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

D. Donaldson: It seems this government believes that making promises to the citizens of this province and then breaking them is a good thing. The coordinator of the Bulkley Valley Exhibition told me she broke down when she opened the letter this government sent in the middle of the fair, cancelling the funding. That is the human impact of this minister's decisions.

Again to the minister: will the minister do his job, stand in support of grass-roots community groups and commit to reinstating the promised funding that this government cut?

Hon. K. Krueger: There are few easy choices in tough times. To the great volunteers who serve in the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair: would they agree with that member that the fair is a higher priority than providing food, shelter and support to at-risk individuals?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Minister, just take your seat for a second.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. K. Krueger: Would any member on the opposite side of the House argue that a program to fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children is a lower priority than fall fairs? Not everyone can be funded, and tough decisions have to be made.

S. Simpson: If this minister or this government –– anybody in this government –– had lifted one finger to deal with the question of the highest levels of child poverty for the last six years in this country, maybe you'd be more believable when you wring your hands on these issues.

Yesterday the member for Vancouver–West End and I met with over a hundred members of the arts community in Vancouver. Not one of those members believes this minister. All of them represent groups that had three-year funding commitments before the election. All those groups have had those commitments broken and ripped up by this government after the election.

My question to the minister is this: why would any organization in this province have any confidence in the believability of this government or this minister on any of their commitments?

Hon. K. Krueger: There are far fewer children living in homes that are supported by income assistance now than there were in the '90s. But those very children that the member opposite professes to be asking questions about are in those groups that I have listed as our priorities.

Interjections.

Hon. K. Krueger: The member says he can't hear, and it's because of his colleagues.

Those very children live in the homes that these programs that we've placed as priorities treat as priority –– programs that support low-income and disabled British Columbians; programs that provide food, shelter, and support to at-risk individuals; programs that support community health services; programs that fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children.

We do, in these tough times, have to focus our resources, government's resources, on the people who need the services the most.

S. Fraser: You deceived the public. You deceived the artists. You deceived the public.

Mr. Speaker: Member.

Take your seat for a second.

Member for Alberni–Pacific Rim, will you withdraw those comments?

S. Fraser: I withdraw.