Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged $200,000 a year for Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of the Arts on Thursday.
A letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, left, from P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz prompted the announcement.
(CBC)
Ontario cut its funding of the national arts centre in 1997.
Speaking to a gathering at the Confederation Centre, McGuinty stressed the national role the centre plays.
"We make this contribution in support of Canadian artists working to give expression to what we are as Canadians and to who and what we are as a nation," he said.
The Confederation Centre gains not only money with the announcement, but also an important ally. When it opened 43 years ago, all provinces contributed. Since then, some have opted out and P.E.I. wants them back.
This funding announcement makes Ontario the single largest supporter of the Confederation Centre outside P.E.I. Alberta is the other big supporter, giving $100,000 last year. Three provinces do not contribute: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
The Confederation Centre intends to produce shows about each province in years to come, with the 400th anniversary of Quebec City next summer's feature.
Confederation Centre CEO David MacKenzie intends to mount more productions that reflect the nation.
(CBC)
"More and more it is the Confederation Centre's responsibility to live up to the mandate bestowed on it in 1964 to live up to being a national memorial," said centre CEO David MacKenzie.
"The provinces that are joining us are agreeing to that and we are committing to those provinces that join us that we are going to move much stronger in that direction."
The Ontario premier said it was a letter he received earlier this year from P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz that spurred him to action.
Ghiz said he's going to write more letters like that one.
"We wanted to make sure that we put on a national lobby to get the provinces back to funding the Confederation Centre," he said.
Ghiz said some other provinces are also very close to restoring funding to the centre. McGuinty said he'll be joining Ghiz in encouraging that.
McGuinty also said he hopes to take in a show at the centre next summer, something he said he's never done.
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