Source : CBC News

Heritage Minister Liza Frulla was among the high profile Liberal candidates defeated in Monday's election, possibly paving the way for Conservative culture critic Bev Oda to step into the spotlight.

Frulla lost to Bloc Québécois candidate Thierry St-Cyr in the riding of Jeanne-Le Ber, located in the southeast corner of the Island of Montreal.

Monday night's race was a rematch for Frulla and St-Cyr: she had narrowly beaten the Bloc candidate by 72 votes in 2004. A former TV host, radio executive and member of the Quebec National Assembly, Frulla was elected into federal government in a 2002 byelection, after being chosen as a candidate by former prime minister Jean Chrétien.

Frulla, 56, was the former minister of social development and, most recently, in addition to being minister of Canadian Heritage, also served as minister responsible for the Status of Women.

During Frulla's tenure as culture minister, major issues on her plate included the introduction of satellite radio to Canada and the continued call for increased, stable funding for institutions like the Canada Council, the Canadian Television Fund and the CBC.

She also presided over the department during the fracas over controversial CRTC decisions in 2004, including whether to allow more foreign-language TV stations into Canada and the broadcast regulator's refusal to renew the licence of Quebec City radio station CHOI-FM.

In early 2005, the Liberals pledged to continue the Tomorrow Starts Today program, which funds Canadian arts groups across the country, and in November, to raise the Canada Council's budget to $301 million over the next three years.

Frulla had also intended to toughen Canada's "antiquated" intellectual property laws through proposed new copyright legislation, however the bill died when the election was called.

Leading contender for culture

Bev Oda, who has been vocal as the cultural critic for the Conservatives, is a leading candidate for heritage minister in the upcoming Conservative cabinet.

Oda won handily over Liberal Doug Moffatt in Monday's election. She represents the riding of Durham on the eastern edge of the Greater Toronto Area.

The 61-year-old Oda is former a schoolteacher and has filled both production and management roles with Rogers, OMNI 1, Global Television, CFMT-TV and CTV. From 1987 through 1993, Oda worked as a CRTC commissioner and has also served as a member of the Canadian Heritage Committee.

She has been critical of the Liberals' handling of arts and culture funding, including yearly extensions of programs like Tomorrow Starts Today.

"The government was responding to our demands on behalf of the cultural community, but there are no significant new commitments," Oda said in February 2005.

She also argued at the time that Tomorrow Starts Today should get permanent funding and that the renewed extra-budgetary allocation of $60 million for the CBC should also become permanent.

Regarding arts and culture issues, the Conservative Party has said it:

• Supports the Liberals' increase in funding to the Canada Council for the Arts.
• Believes that government support should be linked to accountability, transparency and sustainability.
• Will work to strengthen opportunities and accessibility in both the domestic and international markets for creative works.
• Will, through the tax system and other means, support charitable giving by individuals and corporations to the arts and cultural community.
• Will focus CBC/Radio-Canada on its mandate as a public broadcasting service.
• Will preserve the role of the National Film Board, the Canada Council and other federal arts and culture agencies.
• Will review and update the Broadcasting Act and will establish national policy directions that will maximize freedom of choice and freedom of expression.
• Will give Canadians increased access to international and foreign language programming.
• Will reduce the CRTC’s role in content regulation to eliminate duplication where other legislation exists.
• Beginning Tuesday, a group of Conservative staffers are to join the Privy Council Office to begin to work on some of the technical aspects of the government transition.

One of the main challenges facing prime minister-designate Stephen Harper is to decide whom he should bring into cabinet. A new cabinet could be sworn in as quickly as two weeks from now.
 
© CBC News