It is therefore a member of the Outaouais, Mathieu Lacombe, former Minister of Families, who succeeds Nathalie Roy at the head of the Ministry of Culture and Communications. Stakeholders in the cultural community want their new minister to continue the “consultative” approach of Mr.me Roy.
Posted at 4:23 p.m.
“We welcome Mr. Lacombe’s appointment with enthusiasm,” says David Laferrière, general manager of Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault and president of RIDEAU, which brings together 350 performance halls in Quebec. It’s a nice surprise. Especially since it is at his request that he would have gone to Culture and we are told that he frequents the living arts. »
David Laferrière wishes to continue the work started with Mr.me Roy, “who grasped the issues of the cultural milieu”. But we have “a lot of challenges to overcome”, he however warned, in particular because of galloping inflation and the risk of recession.
Among them, he mentions the shortage and retention of manpower, as well as the funding of assistance measures for the operation of cultural organizations, the amounts of which are “clearly insufficient”. The return of the public to theaters is also a major challenge. The ticketing assistance measures expire in March 2023. “We will have to reassess all of this in the coming months,” he said.
Bringing audiences back to theaters
Marcel Sabourin, spokesperson for the Association of Independent Theaters of Quebec (ASSIQ) and president of Club Soda, agrees.
“The pandemic has kept the public away from our rooms, he laments. And the solution is not to increase the price of cultural products. Young people go out less, they listen to more English-language music. We feel that the cultural cement is crumbling. I believe that will be the main challenge for the new minister, to win back our audience. »
Mr. Sabourin also believes that the pandemic has brought the various cultural organizations such as SODEC and the Ministry closer to the community as a whole.
“We were in a lot of communication with the office of the Ministry, it mobilized the community, and it is to the credit of Minister Roy. I have participated in countless meetings with them. I believe that we must continue to communicate in this way and stick together because the cultural environment is extremely fragile today. »
Present a long-term vision
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
David Laferrière, general manager of Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault and president of RIDEAU, which brings together 350 performance halls in Quebec
David Laferrière hopes that Minister Lacombe will listen to the community’s demands so that he can present a long-term vision. “A one-time promotional campaign to encourage people to come back to our theaters will not be enough,” he warns.
Is the fact that the minister comes from Outaouais good or bad news for Montreal? “We’ll see,” replies Marcel Sabourin cautiously. We’re going to give the runner a chance. »
The director general of the Regroupement québécois de la danse, Nadine Medawar, also hopes that the new minister will not lose the current “momentum”. “We had many meetings with the M team.me Roy for the revival of culture, so we want to continue in this direction, ”she tells us.
Increase the budget dedicated to culture
Mme Medawar, who has been at the head of the RQD for a year, also hopes that the minister will be sensitive to the demands of the Coalition La culture, le cœur du Québec, which wants to see the culture budget go from 1% to 2% of the budget. province total.
She is delighted with the assistance received by dance companies through the CALQ — 6.5 million last year — as well as assistance of one million for promotion. “Artists in the dance community are among the lowest paid, so we appreciate the help we have received from the government,” notes Ms.me Medawar.
On the issue of wages, Marcel Sabourin believes that workers in the cultural sector “often agree to work for less, because they are passionate about it”. “But right now there is a real shortage. I am running out of resources. We have to find solutions, and funding. »