A PQ government would work to get Robert Lepage's Kanata on the stage

The Parti Quebecois is staking its claim as the party that will defend Quebec's arts scene and it's using a controversial play that has been panned by Indigenous leaders in the province to do it.

If he becomes premier, PQ leader Jean-FranoisLise saidhe would meet with Robert Lepage, the director of the controversial play Kanata, to try to get the production staged.

The play, which recounts Canada's colonial past, was subject to criticism this summer for not including more Indigenous artists. It was cancelled in July after one of the co-producers dropped out.

"I think we have to be very clear that when we have bodies that subsidize the arts, the criteria for subsidizing the arts is quality," Lisesaid Tuesday, while unveiling thePQ'scultural policy at a Montreal theatre.

"You never should say, 'Well,this is controversial, so I won't help it get to marketbecause it's controversial.'"

Lisesaid he would try to findLepageanother producer for Kanata and, if that failed, he would consider offering government funding. The priority, he said, would be to ensure artists likeLepagearen't censored.

Less than a week into the provincial election campaign, theparty, which has already promised not to hold a referendum in its first mandate, has tried to play up its commitment to promoting Quebec arts and culture.

As part of its plan, Lise said the PQ would make more books by Quebec authors available in elementary schools, at a total cost of $5 million, as well as introduce a "cultural passport" for high school students that would allow them to attend events at a discount, at a cost of $9 million.

He also said a PQ government would put a greater emphasis on Quebec history beginning in elementary school.

The controversy over Kanata came after the Montreal Jazz Fest cancelled another Lepage production, SLV, a play about slavery featuring a predominantly white cast.It was also accused of cultural appropriation.

Both the PQ and the Coalition Avenir Qubec were critical of the decision to cancel the productions.

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