While artists have no longer been entitled to emergency pandemic assistance programs for nearly four weeks, a first meeting on this subject is scheduled for Friday between the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, and artists’ associations, has learned The duty.
The National Federation of Communications and Culture (FNCC-CSN) and artists’ associations of Quebec are preparing to ask Minister Rodriguez when his government intends to establish the emergency financial assistance promised to musicians, dancers, actors and other artists whose income is still compromised by the COVID pandemic.
Time is running out for double bass player Alex Bellegarde, whose last Canadian Economic Stimulus Benefit (PCRE) amount was deposited into his account at the end of last month. ” It’s difficult. I work it out, but I’m broken. “
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 50-year-old musician had contracts to play his jazz and Latin music tunes in clubs or at receptions and weddings, much rarer events and constrained by health measures. He now estimates that he only plays once a week, on average, for more modest fees. “I said to myself: we are not able to work, I hope at least that we will be able to have something. “
This is precisely what was promised him by Justin Trudeau during the last election campaign. The liberal platform foresaw, for the recovery, “a transitional support program which will give access to emergency measures to artists, craftsmen, creators and authors – mainly self-employed workers or independent entrepreneurs – who are deprived of work due to of COVID-19 ”.
Yet artists like Mr. Bellegarde were left out of the announcement made by Ottawa on October 21 that some emergency aid would be renewed, but not the PCRE. This leaves room since October 23 for other programs, “better targeted”, as in the case of a new confinement. At most the Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, she recalled her electoral promise of federal support for artists, without providing details.
Passing through Scotland to attend COP26, Minister Freeland reiterated on November 3 that her government “understands very well” the “special situation” of the arts community, strongly affected by COVID-19. “We are now working with Pablo Rodriguez and his ministry to specify, with his ministry, how we are going to do that. But I want to ensure [à] all the artists, all the creators of Canada, that we have made this commitment. We understand that there is a need for this support and this support will be there. “
Asked about this on Monday, the press secretary to the Minister of Heritage, Camille Gagné-Raynauld, provided an email to the To have to detailing the federal government’s desire to reform employment insurance, including self-employed workers and artists. The government is currently holding public consultations on this project. The new service is scheduled for January 2023.
In a telephone interview with The duty earlier this week, the interim president of the FNCC, Annick Charette, described the situation as “critical” for artists who now find themselves without benefits. “We have frequent discussions with the ministry so that it comes back to us [sur le sujet]. We are putting pressure, ”she explained.
Her predecessor at the head of the FNCC, Pascale St-Onge, was elected under the Liberal colors in the last elections and was appointed Minister of Sports and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. During the same reshuffle, Pablo Rodriguez took over the Heritage portfolio, which had until then been held by Steven Guilbeault.