The audiovisual sector welcomes the recent budget of the Legault government, which improves the tax credit offered to film and television productions, particularly foreign filming. The financial year presented on Tuesday was, however, received much more coolly by the performing arts and news media sectors.
The Independent Network of United Artistic Event Presenters (RIDEAU) had already launched a call for help last December for Quebec to provide more support to multidisciplinary venues, faced with a sharp increase in their production costs. But on the day after the budget, the association, which represents 170 broadcasters across Quebec, is saddened that its cry from the heart has not been heard.
“For us, it’s worrying. It was necessary and urgent to catch up with historical funding, particularly in broadcasting. Currently, I have difficulty seeing how this will be possible,” regretted David Laferrière, the president of RIDEAU, in a press release.
Mr. Laferrière emphasizes that the Girard budget only grants an additional $4.8 million in 2024-2025 to all cultural organizations supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). However, this state-owned company will see its budget cut by more than $20 million for next year, in particular because of the gradual end of certain aid that had been put in place during the pandemic.
“This is a missed opportunity. Our government had the opportunity to adequately protect an environment that contributes significantly and generously to Quebec culture, our identity and the collective imagination. This portends a tough future for our peers. However, we warned of the breaking point. It is difficult not to see this insufficient allocation as a sacrifice which disrupts the ecosystem and whose impact could prove disastrous,” lamented Michelle Parent and Véronique Pascal, co-presidents of the Conseil québécois du théâtre.
Be careful about helping electronic media
At the National Assembly on Wednesday morning, the Minister of Culture took note of the dissatisfaction with the latest budget in the performing arts community. But during a fairly tense press scrum with journalists from Parliament Hill, Mathieu Lacombe was mainly asked questions about aid to the media.
The Legault government extended its Media Assistance Strategy on Tuesday for an amount of $6.4 million. The tax credit which can cover up to 35% of the salaries of journalists in written media has also been renewed. But nothing has been announced specifically to support radio and TV, despite significant cuts in these sectors in recent months.
Mathieu Lacombe was cautious on Wednesday about the idea of further supporting companies listed on the stock exchange, such as Quebecor, Bell and Cogeco. The federal Minister of Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, raised the same concerns two weeks ago.
“There are not two classes of journalists with written journalists on one side and written media journalists on the other. But certainly, there is a difference between NPOs and cooperatives, as is the case with most written media, and companies listed on the stock exchange, like Cogeco and Quebecor,” insisted Minister Lacombe on Wednesday.
“ [Si on aide les médias électroniques]we must ensure that the money does not end up in the pockets of shareholders, but that it is truly used to support journalism in the region. […] The discussion is not over. It will continue this year. This is what I told Quebecor and Bell,” he added.
Enhanced tax credits
Furthermore, the Girard budget was very well received by the cinema and television circles, who saw some of their long-standing requests granted by Quebec. The labor tax credit for Quebec filming now covers 65%, rather than 50%, of salaries.
That in force on services, from which foreign productions can benefit, increases from 20 to 25%. This measure “will allow Quebec to regain its place as a destination of choice for foreign productions,” according to the Quebec Cinema and Television Bureau (BCTQ).
Conversely, Quebec is tightening the rules for granting tax credits available in the visual effects and animation sectors. Enough to worry the video game industry, in particular. “It is essential, to preserve the competitiveness of the industry and our jobs, to reassess this decision quickly,” called the Quebec Video Game Guild.
With Marie-Michèle Sioui