Canada should fix its cultural Main Street

Should Canada invest in and encourage new technologies? Sure. But can we please do so without ignoring crumbling cultural infrastructure? Stop the monorail; Canada’s professional creators want off.

Culture Minister Marc Miller, pictured on the Hill. Along with music and comedy, Canadian writing and publishing are likely our greatest cultural exports. The world knows us through our stories. But since that golden age of cultural support, deep cracks have appeared that threaten the viability of our cultural Main Street, writes John Degen.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY JOHN DEGEN

January 7, 2026

In a 1993 Simpsons episode called Marge vs. the Monorail, a folksy, fast-talking salesman bilks the town of Springfield of $3-million it desperately needs to fix its crumbling Main Street. The grifter spins a song-and-dance utopian future pow...

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy