Some members of Prince Edward Island’s creative sector say they’re concerned about culture being removed from the named responsibilities of the province’s executive council. 

Until recently, there was a designated minister responsible for culture-related topics and issues — the minister of fisheries, tourism, sport and culture. 

But when Premier Rob Lantz shuffled the cabinet earlier this month and renamed some of the portfolios, the word “culture” was removed. 

“Department names are deliberately and intentionally chosen to really indicate priority and direction, and not naming culture really diminishes its visibility to the public,” said Jane Ledwell, the executive director of Creative P.E.I., an organization that represents many workers in the cultural industry. 

“In P.E.I., where we are so proud of our identity and so proud of our culture, our artistic expression, our historical narrative, diverse cultural communities, our cultural economic contributions — these all deserve a headline, and our culture really deserves a headline.”

While culture and heritage are present across several departments, it’s unclear which minister will answer questions about it in the legislature or champion budgets that support its preservation and promotion, said Ledwell. 

“It’s a collective expression of our identity and we need someone at the table to express why that is so important to us and why it matters.” 

‘It’s in everything that we do’ 

The news of the title change was a bit disappointing, said Brian Markham, general manager of the Arts Guild in Charlottetown. 

The change won’t have much of an impact on how the Arts Guild will function in the short term since the organization falls under the innovation portfolio. But it raises some concerns about what might play out in the future, he said. 

“With what’s going on in Nova Scotia … it makes us a little bit nervous as to what might happen here on the Island,” Markham said, referring to recent cuts that have hit Nova Scotia’s creative sector. 

He added that the recent P.E.I. attorney general’s report, which warned that the provincial government needs to “rein in spending,” suggests that there might be some changes on the horizon. 

“It tends to be arts and culture that goes first,” Markham said. “So we’re just really hopeful that that isn’t the case for P.E.I.”

He said there doesn’t tend to be a lot of recognition of how much the Island’s arts and culture sectors provide to the economy. 

“Art is everywhere. It’s in our architecture, it’s in our food, it’s in everything that we do,” Markham said. “The idea of not having funding for artists and for creatives makes the world look very boring.” 

The national conversation

While culture is certainly of significance to P.E.I., Ledwell said, it’s also important on the national level. 

“This is a moment when the national conversation is really focused on identity and culture.… It’s such an essential part of defining ourselves in a changing world and responding to the crises of the world,” she said.  

“When we create things for the people and among the people that call this place home and express the diversity of experience that we have in Prince Edward Island today, that creates an understanding among ourselves that allows us to be a welcoming place.”

Markham agrees that the Island’s cultural sector has wide-ranging significance. 

“When society is kind of falling apart, it’s really artists that will keep things going and keep protesting and keep culture alive,” he said. 

“I think it behooves the government to look at adding culture back into the ministerial title.” 

In the meantime, Ledwell said she’ll be keeping a close eye on the minister’s mandate letters, and whether they have any clear signals of support for the province’s arts, culture and heritage sectors.