David MacAlister holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University, an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia, and an LL.M.

Vancouver writer Michael Barnholden is the author of Gabriel Dumont Speaks (Talon Books 1993), On The Ropes (Coach House Books 1997) and Reading the Riot Act: A Brief History of Riots in Vancouver (Anvil Press 2005).  He recently released Circumstances Alter Photographs: Captain James Peters' Reports from the War of 1885 from Vancouver's Talonbooks. He is currently the managing editor of West Coast Line.

Irwin Oostindie is Executive Director of W2, a community media and arts space in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Q. W2 is one of the newest arts organizations in the city. It was one of the real hubs of activity during the 2010 Olympics. How has W2 been impacted by the cuts to arts? How do you view the Olympic funding for the arts -- was the $40 million for the opening and closing ceremonies worth it?

Grace Pastine is the Litigation Director for the BC Civil Liberties Association

Q. There seems to be populist drumbeating on the part of the federal government related to everything from Tamil refugees to security threats. What do you make of the inflated national security rhetoric being used by governments?

Doug McArthur is a Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School of Public Policy at SFU.  Previously, he was a Senior Fellow in Public Policy at UBC and served in a number of senior positions in the civil service in B.C.

Q - You prepared a paper in the spring of this year on the B.C. economy that was a diagnostic paper. What were the main structural concerns that you identified with the BC economy?

The sharp decline in the forest industry, the dependence on natural gas and construction over the past five years, stagnation in manufacturing and processing, low private sector investment and stagnant and low exports.

David Diamond is the Artistic and Managing Director of Headlines Theatre, based in Vancouver.

Tell me a little bit about Headlines Theater?

Headlines started in 1981. I was the co-founder of the company. This January, we will be celebrating our 30 year anniversary. We're an issue-based theater company and have been from the very beginning. Headlines is certainly one of the oldest political theater companies in the country. We do a number of projects a year, one main-stage, many other small projects that happen by invitation.

Amir Ali Alibhai is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture in BC.

Q - The B.C. government this past week restored some funding to the arts after heavy advocacy by supporters of the arts.  To what degree will this make up for the cuts that happened?