extending credit

The Rt. Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
Wellington St.
Ottawa, Ontario.

To the Rt. Honourable Stephen Harper:

Thank you for giving a tax credit to parents of children involved in organized athletics. With the rising costs of sports participation and the limited opportunities in school, this is a useful way to promote fitness for Canadian youth.

This incentive, however, focuses only on the physical health of young people. As a parent, you know that a well-rounded child is the result of the combination of physical, spiritual, and artistic development.

Studies have proven that children involved in the arts are more successful academically and are more apt, as adults, to become leaders in their communities. As you may know, lessons and rehearsals for students involved in the arts are much more expensive than organized athletics. In addition, parents of these children also invest financially in music, drama, dance and theatre. The social and creative future of Canada depends on them, perhaps even the political and economic future as well.

As a member of Canada’s writing and publishing community, I respectfully request that you extend this tax credit to parents of children involved in the visual, musical, dramatic, kinesthetic, and literary arts.

Sincerely,


Ariel Gordon

* * *

This letter (albeit without my few minor changes/additions) appeared in my at-work inbox on Friday, my last day of work.

It is the brainchild of Gene Walz, a professor of film studies at the University of Manitoba, a sometime actor, and avid birder. Walz was involved in the highly successful - and volunteer-driven - Birds of Manitoba. He was also in attendance at The Prairies: Lost and Found academic conference that I presented at in 2004 and was a great source of support to me.

Walz made the the following requests of those he forwarded the letter to, which I will also pass along:

"As you may well know, Steven Harper has decided to reward the families of students participating in organized athletics by giving them a tax credit.

This letter is asking him to award the same $$$ to the families of young people who pursue artistic endeavors. Film, dance, theatre, music making, and art studies are all perfect examples of ways that our young people better themselves creatively, spiritually and physically to varying degrees, and it seems unfair that only young people who chase balls or slap pucks are recognized as being instrumental in the betterment of society. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say.)

Please read the attached letter, and, if you are of the same opinion, feel free to print it, sign it and send it as it is, or, if you like, by all means, modify it to suit your particular area of artistic interest.

The key is that the letter gets sent ... The wording of the letter will not say nearly as much as the message that will be received when this huge amount of mail (not e-mail) is received at Mr. Harper's office."

So I think I can speak for Gene when I urge you to get cracking!

But don't do it for us, do it for the children!