Three days after the venues have closed, artists and other self-employed workers in the industry welcome Ottawa’s desire to distribute as quickly as possible the new $ 300 per week benefit offered to people who have lost their contracts because of the confinement. However, a few questions remain unanswered.
Viviane Morin, President of the Association of Professional Performing Arts of Quebec, appreciates Ottawa’s diligence in taking action. However, she expressed a reservation after having learned the details of the new program.
This is because to receive the Canada Workers Benefit in the event of confinement (PCTCC), workers will have to demonstrate that they have lost more than 50% of their income because of the confinement. However, for artists whose income varies enormously from month to month, the paperwork surrounding this emergency aid could turn out to be a real headache.
“It was the same with the PCRE [la Prestation canadienne de la relance économique]. Some artists had even decided not to touch it, because they were engulfed in administrative mazes. Even the tax experts did not agree among themselves on the income which had to be taken into account to determine whether or not a person was eligible, ”explains Viviane Morin.
Insufficient help
Less generous than the Canadian Emergency Benefit (CEP), proposed at the start of the pandemic, the PCTCC meets the same need, in the context where several economic activities will be stopped in the coming weeks due to the meteoric rise of COVID-19 cases across the country. According to what was announced on Wednesday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, this financial support will be offered, if necessary, at least until May 2022.
The president of the Guild of Musicians of Quebec, Luc Fortin, is delighted that such an initiative is being put in place so quickly. According to him, the weekly amount of $ 300 is far from being an exaggerated expenditure for the government, although he recognizes that some artists who will cash this check would probably have received less income in the coming months if it had not been for no semi-containment.
Except that “a lot of artists were making a lot more than $ 300 a week. Three hundred dollars is not really a lot to pay for everything, ”emphasizes Mr. Fortin to illustrate the vital importance of this new service.
Even according to him, the PCTCC will not be sufficient to support performing artists during the hard period ahead. Other assistance programs already exist, those administered by Quebec, more specifically by the Society for the Development of Cultural Enterprises (SODEC) or the Fondation des Artistes.
At the office of the Minister of Culture, Nathalie Roy, it is reported that these days have discussions on a possible improvement of these aids in the current context.
Urgency to act
In any case, the damage is done for a good part of the artists. The Musicians’ Guild expects many to leave the industry for good as a result of this new blow to culture.
“There were already 17% of our members who had not returned when the shows started again. Since the fall, things have been going really well, however, the number of shows had almost returned to the pre-pandemic rate. And there, bang, it happens, and we go back a year and a half. It’s a terrible blow, ”laments the president, Luc Fortin.
There is good news, at least: artists could continue to benefit from the PCTCC should performance halls reopen at 50% or less of capacity. The federal Department of Employment and Social Development, however, was unable to say when eligible workers could submit their claims or when the first checks would be released.
Since the fall, things have been going really well, however, the number of shows had almost returned to the pre-pandemic rate. And there, bang, it happens, and we go back a year and a half.
” It’s urgent. 1er January is approaching, and there are people who will have to pay the rent. Eighty percent of artists were already living below the poverty line, and most of them do not have big savings, ”recalls Annick Charette, president of the National Federation of Communications and Culture ( FNCC-CSN).