Source : Globe & Mail

Tina Keeper doesn't think Beverley Oda is doing a good job as Canadian Heritage Minister. But then she has to think that, doesn't she?

Last week, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion named the 44-year-old Keeper as the party's official critic of the Heritage portfolio. A member of the Norway House Cree Nation, she was most famous, at least before her election to the House of Commons last year, as RCMP officer Michelle Kenidi, a part she played for five seasons on the now-defunct CBC-TV series North of 60.

Since Oda, 62, was given her joint portfolio by Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Feb. 7 -- she is also Status of Women Minister -- the former CRTC commissioner and private broadcasting executive has earned mixed reviews, particularly on the cultural side of the ledger.

Yes, she got the Canada Council for the Arts an additional $50-million -- but her Liberal predecessor, Liza Frulla, promised $300-million. Yes, she announced $100-million in capital assistance to federal institutions such as the National Gallery and the Canadian War Museum -- but the Conservatives trimmed the Museums Assistance Program and the cultural diplomacy budget of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Still in limbo are decisions on a CBC mandate review, the Portrait Gallery of Canada, top-up funding for the construction projects of the Canadian Opera Company and the Royal Conservatory of Music and new leadership for the National Film Board, among other institutions.

"I think Bev Oda's failed the file," Keeper said from her riding of Churchill, Man. "The Tories see that portfolio as a grab bag. Putting Status of Women and Heritage together, that in itself represents how much they underestimate Canadian heritage.

"I don't think she's the voice for women or for artists or for the Canadian identity. There's no passion on that file."

Asked if she has any particular priorities as Canadian Heritage critic, Keeper offered scant detail. "The aboriginal languages files is absolutely a priority."

And the Museums Assistance Program and a new museums policy? "The Conservatives, they're stalling on the file. . . . They've got glib answers."

The Canada Council? "One of the great things about Canada has been its commitment to artists and the arts, its commitment to our identity through the arts." Having worked extensively with the native theatre community, she said, "I know the Canada Council is the basis of theatre in this country."

Keeper did not elaborate on any of the policies. She acknowledged that she is still a rookie politician and MP, yet "being from the West, a woman and first nations, well, I can see why that came into play in making a shadow cabinet."

Being named culture critic "was a surprise," said Keeper, who recently served as Public Health critic.

Keeper backed Ken Dryden in his run for the Liberal leadership, but switched to Bob Rae after the first ballot when it was clear Dryden wouldn't prevail. After Rae stalled, she supported Dion, and now seems happy that the "distractions" of that campaign are over.

"Now, it's time to be focused and communicating with Canadians. The great sense that I get is we're building something, the strongest team that we can."

© Globe and Mail