The Trudeau government spent $12,520 to finance stage productions featuring senior citizens from other countries sharing sexual stories with live audiences.. Franco Terrazzano CTF Federal DirectorFranco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director .Every performance showcases a group of seniors sharing their real-life sexual encounters, with various experiences and stories, including “first time, best time, worst time, last time.”.The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) discovered the funding initiative for these sexually-themed stage productions after obtaining internal government records through an access-to-information request..“When Canadian parents told their children to listen to their elders, I don’t think this is what they had in mind,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF federal director..“This sounds like a really expensive game of ‘Never Have I Ever.’”.The stage show “All the Sex I've Ever Had” was developed by the Toronto-based arts organization Mammalian Diving Reflex (MDR) in 2010 and is still being produced..MDR was granted funding from a relatively unknown federal fund managed by Global Affairs Canada, known as the Mission Cultural Fund (MCF)..The funding allowed MDR to organize stage performances of “All The Sex I’ve Ever Had” in various international locations, including Vienna, Austria, Melbourne, Australia, and Taipei City, Taiwan..During the summer of 2019, MDR travelled to Taipei City five weeks prior to the scheduled performance to carefully select a group of seniors and train them for their upcoming stage appearance..The production was marketed as a “socially engaging project that promotes Canadian values in freedom of speech and tolerance of society,” with a cost of $4,000 covered by taxpayers..In 2017, taxpayers financed two separate performances of “All the Sex I've Ever Had,” one in Vienna costing $2,981 and the other in Melbourne with a price tag of $5,539..The funding for the Vienna production also included another show called “Haircuts by Children.”.“I’d like to meet the person who thought paying for seniors to relive their sex lives in front of a live audience in another country is a good use of Canadian tax dollars,” Terrazzano said..“How do sex stories from seniors in other countries promote Canada?”.The Mission Cultural Fund (MCF) was established in 2016 with an annual budget of $1.75 million and a mission to “promote our artists abroad while advancing foreign policy priorities.” .According to records obtained by the CTF, the MCF has consistently exceeded its budget, overspending by an average of approximately $2 million annually during its first three years..This is not the first time that MCF funding initiatives have caused controversy..In 2019, the MCF provided $8,813.70 in funding to Canadian artist Peaches for a multimedia art exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, titled “Whose Jizz is This?” .A provocative title that drew criticism and attention..The exhibition featured a range of sculptures, prints, and videos, as well as a unique cast of giant sex toys referred to as “the Fleshies,” which were mechanized and transformed into water fountains..“First, we learned of the so-called art show in Germany featuring giant sex toys, and now we’re learning taxpayers are also on the hook for these weird stage productions where seniors share sex stories,” Terrazzano said..“What on earth is going on at Global Affairs Canada?”.The CTF has suggested the MCF be abolished since 2020..In August 2021, the government published the results of a review, which revealed that the MCF lacked a “formal governing structure” and had “unclear roles and responsibilities.”.“Here’s a novel idea: maybe the government lays off the sex shows until it pays down the $1-trillion debt?” said Terrazzano.
