The Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, tabled her reform on Wednesday aimed at modifying the laws on the status of the artist, an election promise of the Coalition avenir Québec. Everything indicates that parliamentarians will seek to promote its adoption by the end of the parliamentary session.
Posted at 10:33 a.m.
Updated at 11:14 a.m.
The bill proposes a merger of the two laws which define the status of the artist and which regulate the conditions for exercising their profession. This grouping under the same legislative framework would allow all artists to negotiate collective agreements, a change called for in particular by the Union of Quebec Writers.
Officially titled An Act to harmonize and modernize the rules relating to the professional status of artistsBill 35 also introduces provisions and remedies for psychological and sexual harassment.
In addition to redefining names to better reflect the evolution of creation — circus arts, digital experience and digital arts are clearly mentioned — it provides that the government can intervene to set minimum working conditions for artists who are not covered by collective agreements.
On a more technical level, Bill 35 expands the jurisdiction of the Administrative Labor Tribunal, provides a greater framework for grievance arbitration and provides for the maintenance of negotiated working conditions at the expiry of a collective agreement until its renewal. .
After the presentation by Minister Nathalie Roy in the Blue Room of the National Assembly, it was suggested by the opposition that this bill be studied by a parliamentary committee other than that of culture and communications, which is currently very busy, to ensure its adoption before the end of this session. The suggestion was welcomed by government leader Simon Jolin-Barrette.
More details to come…