Quebec’s total spending on culture in 2019-2020 was $ 1.89 billion, up 2.1% from the previous year, according to data released Monday by the Observatoire de la culture and communications from Quebec. This is an investment of $ 222 per capita. Figures that should explode in the next statistical exercise, which will then reflect the assistance provided to get through the pandemic and compensate for the closures and re-closings of cultural places.
The context makes this Polaroid from the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) more important: the data was collected just before the pandemic, and the results could serve as a point of comparison for spending for 2020-2021, such as the indicates the ISQ.
Québec’s direct cultural spending has increased by 1.5% per year on average since 2010-2011 to reach, in 2019-2020, $ 1.2 billion. This is, proportionally, 1.05% of the consolidated expenditure of the public accounts – less than in 2010-2011, at 1.23%.
One of the findings for 2019-2020 is the increase in tax expenditures, i.e. refundable tax credits, of 8.8% compared to 2018-2019, for a total of 686 million. This is a markedly steeper rise than that of external expenditure (operations, grants, contributions, prices) or internal expenditure (expenditure on salaries and wages of employees of ministries, expenditure relating to the purchase of goods and services – to infrastructure, in other words).
“Since 2012-2013, tax expenditures have experienced an average annual growth of 12.6%, against 2.4% for direct expenditures”, we can read in the report. Quebec public administration spending on culture in 2019-2020. These figures should be shaken from the next survey, where we can read the impact of the pandemic.
“We expect the data for the next few years to be very different,” said Sylvie Marceau, researcher at the Observatory. “We expect increases everywhere”, which would reflect the various aids put in place by the government to help culture during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biblios, museums and cities
In 2019-2020, more than half of direct spending was made in the areas of Libraries (23%) – which includes Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec -, Heritage, museum institutions and archives (23%) and Performing arts ( much lower, at 13%). These three disciplines have been in the top spending pack for at least 20 years.
“The Book and Periodical and Multimedia domains have the highest average annual growth rates of the last decade (11.4% and 9.2% respectively)”, mentions the survey.
In 2019-2020, 74% of direct cultural spending was made in the central regions of Montreal ($ 290.74 per capita) and Quebec City ($ 382.51 per capita). In the other regions, these expenses fluctuated between $ 23.39 and $ 164.80 per capita.
“Since 2000-2001, there has been an average annual growth rate of more than 5% in three regions: the Laurentians (5.9%), Chaudière-Appalaches (5.7%) and Montérégie (5.5% ) ”, Indicates the Observatory. “The Laurentides region has, however, recorded a better growth rate over the past decade (6.5% between 2010-2011 and 2019-2020). “
“Three regions are recording lower growth rates than that of Quebec as a whole. Over 20 years, direct spending on culture increased 2.5% in Nord-du-Québec, 2.1% in Montreal and 0.1% outside Quebec, while they increased 2.8% in Quebec as a whole. “
Over the past 30 years, the amount per capita devoted to direct public expenditure on culture has fallen from $ 79.34 to $ 141.31.