N.L. now only province without 'culture' in department name, artists say sends wrong message

News that the Newfoundland and Labrador government is eliminating the word culture from one of its departments is not going over well with local artists.

There is a symbolism to having culture in the name of the ministry.- Sharon King Campbell

On Tuesday, the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development was renamed Tourism, Industry and Innovation.

The move makes the province the only one in Canada without the word "culture" in a departmental name, something that local playwright Robert Chafe says has implications — even if government insists that the province's culture will still be part of the department's focus.

"At very best, if nothing changes within the department, it's very bad messaging," Chafe told CBC's On The Go.

"The lens changes now, so I'm very skeptical that you can sit at the table, make this change to fold culture in under tourism and sit across the table from me and say that 'you get what we do.'"

Chafe is worried the department is placing both tourism and culture in the same basket, which he feels shows a lack of understanding about the difference between the two.

"Culture is a way of making Newfoundlanders love their place in the world enough that they may want to stay," he said.

"Tourism on the other hand, is secondary to that, tourism is fostering and allowing others to access our culture."

Symbolic change

Artist Sharon King-Campbell agrees that even if the workings of the department don't change, taking the word culture out of the name still has consequences.

"There is a symbolism to having culture in the name of the ministry," she said. "Now we just have to watch and see what practical changes take place within that ministry.

Government responds

The head of the newly named department, Minister Chris Mitchelmore, insists that the name change is just that — and won't lessen the focus of government on issues and policies around culture.

"It's a major priority, it's a part of who we are and what we do," he told On The Go. 

Michelmore said he continues to see the cultural industry in the province as a growth sector, and points to recent success in the province's film and music industries as examples of that.

"The name of the department has changed, but I can assure that the culture mandate will continue to be a core line of the business for the new department," he said. 

"If anyone out there has concerns, I've always had an open door policy as a minister."