The conservative government of Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, which angered arts leaders last year with $45 million in cuts to arts funding, is trying to repair its relationship with cultural institutions, the Star (Toronto) reports.

The government is calling for $160 million (US$130 million) in spending on the arts in a new budget to be announced today by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

The new funding will reportedly include $100 million for arts festivals, music, and comedy across the country and $60 million for the Cultural Spaces Canada program, which constructs and maintains theaters, museums, and other cultural buildings. Both allocations are to be spread out over two years, while the $45 million figure last year was an annual cut.

Some Canadian pundits believe that the uproar over last year’s arts cuts prevented the Harper government from winning a majority in recent elections.