Discontent is growing in the cultural sector. After surviving the pandemic as best they could, artists and cultural workers find themselves on their knees again following the recent provincial budget, deemed insufficient. Concerned for their future, actors, authors, dancers and sculptors are meeting on Thursday in front of Minister Lacombe’s offices in Montreal to show their fed up and demand “decent funding”.
“We are coming away completely stunned from the catastrophic provincial budget of March 12. It’s definitely not possible to function for years to come with so little help. Something has to be done, it’s urgent! » deplores the author and director Hugo Fréjabise.
With colleagues from the theater community, he recently created the Grande Mobilization des artistes du Québec (GMAQ), a gathering of artists and cultural workers from all walks of life. Their goal ? Convince the Legault government to increase its budget allocated to culture — and particularly to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), which provides funding for research, creation, production and artistic dissemination.
The latter has 160.46 million dollars for 2024-2025, while in the last financial year, before inflation, this amount was 161.18 million. This is therefore less money in the midst of a period of exploding costs and, above all, 100 million less than what the theater community estimated as a minimum viable threshold.
“The government continues to say that culture is extremely important in our society, that it constitutes the soul of a nation, that it builds Quebec identity. In this case, we must be consistent and give ourselves the means to create and play this role with adequate financial support,” insists Hugo Fréjabise.
“We are workers, just like a teacher or a nurse. We deserve decent working conditions and pay,” adds actress and DJ Sarah Laurendeau, also a member of the organizing committee of the Great Event for the Arts which will be held Thursday afternoon. She recalls that, due to lack of subsidies, a number of shows were produced at the expense of companies and artists this fall, while others were canceled or postponed altogether. “It’s like a bereavement when it happens, or at least a big injury which adds to all the fatigue that the environment has accumulated since the pandemic,” she emphasizes.
During the demonstration, an altar will be erected in front of the offices of the Minister of Culture, on rue De Bleury. Artists and cultural workers are invited to dress in black and can leave photos or objects representing their projects that have never seen the light of day. Several personalities will also speak, including the actress Sophie Cadieux, the general director of the TransAmériques festival David Lavoie, the actor Jean-François Casabonne and the solidarity MP Ruba Ghazal.
Given the popularity of the event launched on social networks, the organizers expect to see several hundred people demonstrate alongside them.
Solidarity organizations
It must be said that the initiative quickly resonated with cultural organizations, which relayed the information extensively to their members. Among them: the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD), the Union des artistes (UDA), the Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT), the professional association of show presenters RIDEAU, the Regroupement national des arts du cirque En piste , the Union of Quebec Writers (UNEQ) or the Regroupement des artistes en artsvisuals (RAAV), to name just a few.
Everyone says they are in solidarity with the movement and support its demands; several will be present at the demonstration. “It’s an extension of the work we do on an institutional level, of the pressure we put on the government. It is important to also hear the voices of artists who directly experience the repercussions of an insufficient budget,” notes Parise Mongrain, general director of the RQD.
Several organizations have also highlighted the rather exceptional nature of this movement which was able to mobilize the cultural community as a whole. “To see the different cultural sectors – with truly diverse realities – come together and show solidarity, it’s not nothing! » estimates the co-president of the CQT, Michelle Parent. “It demonstrates the extent to which distress has reached heights in the entire cultural ecosystem. »
“I don’t remember seeing such a broad mobilization of cultural workers in the last decade,” adds UDA president Tania Kontoyanni, who will also speak during the demonstration. She hopes that the movement will change the government’s mind, recalling that Minister Lacombe showed a certain openness in this direction during his visit to the Paris Book Fair last week.
One thing is certain, GMAQ is only just beginning. “A spring of demonstrations is to be expected! » assures Sarah Laurendeau, specifying that two other gatherings are planned for May 16 and June 13. “We won’t give up!” »