Harper government targeted Canadian artist Franke James for her green conscience, internal documents reveal

Here's a great article I just read about a Canadian artist who lost funding because her art criticized Harper. Not only did she lose funding, but the government actively campaigned her private sponsors until they also cancelled their donations (some up to $75 000).

Harper government targeted artist for her green conscience, internal documents reveal

"...Independent artist and environmental advocate Franke James has obtained over 1,500 pages of internal government documents revealing extensive discussion about her art and its effect on the Harper government's agenda.

Franke James, a Canadian artist and environmental advocate blacklisted by the Harper government, has obtained internal documents indicating Canadian officials worked behind the scenes to discredit her work.

An internal Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) media monitoring report from July 2011 lists James as "an inconvenient artist" ("une artiste qui dérange"), the headline of an article in La Presse. The document was part of the 1,500 pages of internal documents James obtained through Access to Information requests since August 2011. 

"To be on the list of hot foreign issues, it was just shocking," James said in a telephone interview. "I'm right up there with Arctic sovereignty and Afghanistan." ..."

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/2012/06/12/harper-government-targeted-artist-her-green-conscience-internal-documents-reveal