Arts and culture has not been a major focus in the provincial election campaign, with much debate centered on heated issues like oil pipelines, leadership, and balanced budgets.

But it is a policy area where voters are being offered a choice between the main political parties, based on what is found in—and missing from—the official platforms.

Rob Gloor, executive director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, a B.C. advocacy group, said there seems to be more support overall for arts and culture than in the past.

“It’s still not a primary issue that the parties give much time to in the public discussion. It’s not part of the debate agenda, for example,” Gloor told the Straight by phone.

“However, three of the parties have made statements on arts and culture in their party platforms and that may not always have been the case.”

The B.C. Liberal platform highlights steps the party took while in government to support the arts and digital media sectors.

These include pledging up to $113 million for a new Emily Carr University campus, boosting the B.C. Arts Council budget to $24 million, and launching the B.C. Creative Futures strategy to support the creative sector.

The Liberal government also increased the tax credit bonus for digital animation and visual effects, and introduced a new tax credit for video game development.

The Liberal platform also outlines a series of promises designed to boost the film and television industries.

A Liberal government would establish a B.C. film office in Los Angeles, and seek to improve inter-provincial policy on financial incentives for film production.

Meanwhile, the New Democrats have unveiled two key promises as part of the party’s “creative economy” strategy.

The NDP pledges to boost the B.C. Arts Council budget to $29 million by 2015 and to not interfere with how the agency doles out its grant funding to arts groups.

An NDP government would also increase production tax credits for labour costs in the film and television industry. The party estimates the move would cost the province $45 million per year while generating $93 million through increased economic activity.

For its part, the Green Party has laid out a series of measures to support arts and culture in its official policy documents.

Among the key proposals are a general increase to arts and culture funding, and establishing a Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

They also include providing multi-year funding to established and emerging arts and culture groups, and improving arts curriculum in schools.

No financial figures are provided with the Green Party’s proposals.

Unlike the other main parties, the B.C. Conservative Party does not mention arts and culture in its platform documents.

For Gloor and other arts advocates, the parties’ promises still fall short of what is needed for the arts and culture sector.

For example, the Alliance for Arts and Culture has been calling for the province to immediately increase the B.C. Arts Council budget to $32 million.

“That would just basically address existing, pent-up demand that is already there (from groups seeking grants),” he said.

Gloor also said advocates would like to see an improved agreement between the province and the nonprofit sector on the issue of community gaming grants.

“It would be about clarifying the relationship between the growth of gaming proceeds and the growth of grants,” he said.

When British Columbians head to the polls on May 14, Gloor hopes they give some thought to the future of arts and culture in the province.

“We certainly want people to think about the parties’ positions on arts and culture—if they consider that an important part of their community—when they’re voting.”

Please note: This article has been corrected to indicate the B.C. government has already increased a tax credit for digital animation and visual effects and introduced a tax credit for video game development.