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The Conservative Party went into the Oct. 14 election campaign unconcerned that its harsh cuts to federal spending on arts and culture would make a big splash in Quebec, The Globe's Konrad Yakabuski wrote today in his column In Quebec, cutting funding for arts is attacking the nationalist soul

They were wrong, he added.

"Nowhere in Canada have the Conservatives' recent $45-million in cuts to the arts taken up as much space in the media as in Quebec, where the issue has typically morphed into one of cultural survival."

"In Quebec, culture and nationalism go together like Stephen Harper and a V-neck."

"Less than 1 per cent of Quebec artists identify themselves as 'Canadian' and more than three-quarters of all artists in the province voted Yes in the 1995 sovereignty referendum, according to a study by York University professor Alexandre Brassard Desjardins.

"No wonder Mr. Harper is the only major party leader to refuse an invitation from Tout le Monde en Parle, the must-see weekly talk show on the CBC's French-language counterpart, Radio-Canada.

"How could he possibly win with a crowd that actually believes the rumours (swirling these days in Quebec) that the Conservative Leader aims to shut down the public broadcaster?

"Tory strategists in Quebec went into the election confident that the arts cuts would have no resonance during the campaign, especially with their target voters outside Montreal, who they figure are more likely to spend their nights watching the lower brow fare on TVA.

"Then again, they probably didn't count on Jean Charest playing the cultural superhero in this campaign.

"Not only has he called for the reversal of the recent arts cuts, but the Liberal Premier has chosen the campaign to renew an old demand for 'cultural sovereignty,' a move that would involve Ottawa's withdrawal from regulating the telecommunications sector and funding the arts in Quebec, while transferring the money it spends in those areas to the province . . . "

"Mr. Charest's outbursts are not aimed at preventing a Tory majority," Mr. Yakabuski concludes.

"He would prefer that Quebec send Conservative MPs to Ottawa rather than Bloc or Liberal ones.

"But by attacking the Tory arts cuts, he just wants to establish in Quebeckers' minds that he's the one best positioned to exact ransom from the feds" in advance of a possible provincial election in the near future.

Do you think the Conservative cuts to the cultural community will hurt their chances of gaining enough seats in Quebec to form a majority government after the election?

Whether you do or not, it's a provocative question. That's why we at globeandmail.com are pleased that Mr. Yakabuski joined us online to take your questions on his column and on other Quebec election issues. Your questions and Mr. Yakabuski's answers appear at the bottom of this page.

Konrad Yakabuski has written on Quebec business, politics and culture for The Globe and Mail since 1996. He previously worked as a political reporter at Le Devoir.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from McGill University and a Master of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of British Columbia.

Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.

Globeandmail.com editor Darren Yourk: Thanks for joining us this morning Konrad. I'll start us off. After reading your column today I was interested in your take on why poll numbers out of Quebec don't seem to show the Conservatives suffering too badly for their cuts to cultural funding. Do you expect the numbers to shift over this issue in the second half of the campaign?

Konrad Yakabuski: Hi Darren. Thanks for having me. I still think the Tory arts cuts are a much bigger issue with the media, and the Montreal-based artistic community that dominates the talk show/awards show circuit, than they are with average voters. Hence, the amount of media coverage they have gotten probably tends to overstate their importance as a campaign issue. This is not to suggest they are unimportant. But we're talking $45-million in cuts out of a total arts/culture budget of more than $3-billion (and only $15-million in cuts in Quebec). Whether the cuts were ideologically motivated or not, the focus of most voters is elsewhere. Besides, with three weeks to go before the election, outrage over the cuts will have become yesterday's news very shortly as other campaign issues move to forefront.

Gilles Lanthier from Canada writes: Une telle compression budgétaire avant les élections était stratégiquement une erreur. Cela peut signifier quelques sièges en moins pour le Parti conservateur au Québec. En somme, cette coupure fournissait une arme redoutable au camp adverse.

Konrad Yakabuski: Bonjour M. Lanthier. To translate your question, you suggest that the arts cuts were a strategical error that could cost the Tories seats in Quebec and provide their political adversaries with amunition. Without repeating what I wrote above, I agree that the Tories probably didn't expect this issue to have the legs it has so far shown in Quebec. But they are still not too concerned about its impact on election day. There are Tories themselves who suggest that what the cuts did was actually solidify their support with their conservative base, the kind of people who are concerned about what they might consider wasteful spending. The Tories never expected to get the votes of artists, the majority of whom, in Quebec, have traditionally been left of centre and sovereigntist. I would argue that the arts cuts were far less damaging to the Tories than Bill C-10, which proposed to withdraw tax credits from films deemed to contain gratutitous violence or sex. That raised the spectre of censorship, which is far more disturbing than adminstrative budget cuts, and something more voters in general care about. But we haven't heard much about C-10 during this campaign.

TB from Toronto writes: Are Quebec artists taking this any closer to heart than artists in the rest of Canada? Or is it simply a matter of critical mass giving Quebec artists the loudest voice?

Konrad Yakabuski: That's a good question, TB. In Quebec, the dominance of home-grown television -- Radio-Canada and TVA dominate the ratings with local drama and talk shows -- gives artists a public profile that they don't have in English Canada. So, whether or not Quebec artists are taking the cuts closer to heart than those in English Canada doesn't matter. The fact is, they have a forum and public profile that gives their views more media weight than in the rest of Canada. Tack on to that the traditional role artists have played in the survival of the French-language and it becomes easy to understand why this issue is getting more ink in Quebec than elsewhere.

Ben R. from Ontario writes: Interesting to see Jack Layton make his arts announcement in Quebec today. How was the Liberal response to the cuts received in Quebec, and what do you expect the reaction to the NDP plan will be?

Konrad Yakabuski: Hello Ben. It certainly promises to make things interesting. First let's deal with the Liberals. Mr. Dion has also promised to reverse the cuts and increase arts funding. But the Liberals have been cooler to Quebec's demands for 'cultural sovereignty' than any other party. That said, the Liberals have attracted the support of a handful of artists: well-known actor Pierre Gendron appears in one of their ads, while Sébastien Dhavernas, a former téléroman star, is running for them in Outremont. But Mr. Dion overall is not seen as a champion of Quebec artists, which is a bit unfair considering he is the one party leader, along with Gilles Duceppe, who can honestly say he is a big consumer of the art Quebeckers create.

The NDP's announcement today is more interesting. The party promises to reverse the Tory cuts and give guarantees on funding to institutions such as Radio-Canada, Telefilm and the Canada Council. This could be a tipping point for the NDP. Could be, but not necessarily. There is no doubt the NDP, since their by-election win in Outremont last year, has been trying to establish itself as the alternative to the Bloc on the left in Quebec. They won Outremont precisely because the Bloc vote went to them. If the Bloc continues to show signs of fatigue, it presents a rare opportunity for the NDP to make a lasting Quebec breakthrough. The one caveat is the NDP's traditional support for a strong central government, which is usually a tough sell in Quebec, even on the left.

Dave L. from Streetsville writes: If not the funding cuts issue, is there any issue in Quebec that might allow the Liberals, NDP or Green Party to gain a bit of traction and move the polls?

Konrad Yakabuski: Dave, yesterday's Harris/Decima poll had the NDP at 16 per cent and the Greens at 11 per cent in Quebec. Together, that's 27 per cent support. We've never seen anything like this in the (rather long) time I've been observing Quebec politics. What we have seen, in each of the past three elections, both parties have gone from nowhere to somewhere in Quebec. The Greens got 4 per cent of the vote in 2006 with no campaign presence. The NDP went from 1.6 per cent in 2000, to 4.6 per cent in 2004 and 7.5 per cent in 2006. So, they appear to be slowly gaining traction. If Jack Layton wants to go further, he must establish the NDP, rather than the Bloc, as the voice of the progressive left in Quebec.

Karen from Calgary writes: Every party except the Bloc has been mentioned on the funding cuts issue during the chat. Where do they fit in the puzzle?

Konrad Yakabuski: Well, Karen, they can only deplore them because they cannot promise to restore them. Mr. Duceppe has held up the arts cuts as proof that Stephen Harper is not telling the truth when he says he is the best friend of Quebec nationalists. If he was, Mr. Duceppe adds, he would make sure Quebec's arts community has the funding to flourish. Still, as a party that cannot aspire to forming a government, it is hard for the Bloc to be something other than a refuge for the protest vote. Some Bloc supporters might argue, with some credibility, that the presence of a large contingent of Bloc MPs in Ottawa forces Quebec issues on to the federal agenda. But there are many voters in rural Quebec who are receptive to the Tory pitch that it's finally time to have a voice in government.

Stu J. from Toronto writes: Can you lay out a scenario where the Liberals get themselves back in the picture in Quebec. It looks like they're stuck in third in this election, but what has to change for them in the coming years before Quebeckers head back to the polls?

Konrad Yakabuski: Hello Stu. To be frank, the best thing (politically speaking) that could happen to the federal Liberals would be the election of a Parti Québécois in Quebec City. Quebeckers have always found the tension between these two levels of government to be politically profitable and healthy, each providing a counterweight to the other on the national question. Since a PQ government is nowhere in sight, I would not be particularly optimistic about the Liberals' near-term prospects for a rebirth in francophone Quebec. If the memory of the sponsorship scandal has diminished somewhat, Stéphane Dion's leadership has left the rank-and-file on the sidelines, waiting for a new leader. If the campaign continues as it has, I would not be surprised to see the Liberals fall below 10 per cent in some ridings and even place fourth in some of them.

Globeandmail.com editor Darren Yourk: That's about all we have time for today Konrad, but I'll close by asking you to play prognosticator. The math varies, but it looks like the Conservatives will need in the neighbourhood of 28 seats in Quebec to form a majority government. Do you see it happening?

Konrad Yakabuski: Darren, that is an unkind question! We still have three weeks to go and a lot can happen in an election campaign...The Tories have targeted about 20 ridings in addition to the 11 they currently hold in Quebec. Their numbers suggest they are close to their goal of winning those 20, but not there yet. If they win fewer than 10 additional seats in Quebec they will have failed to capitalize on the abundant elements currently working in their favour. But for them to get to 20 additional seats or more, they need the Bloc vote to collapse. It has not collapsed. It seems to have bottomed out at about 30% -- perhaps a core base of support that suggests the sovereigntist movement is still alive and kicking.