It always takes a certain amount of time, after the budget is revealed, to understand what funds will be available to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). The figures were confirmed on Friday. The country’s largest provincial arts council has $160.46 million available for 2024-25. Last year, before inflation, the CALQ received 161.18 million. It’s less money, therefore, in the midst of a period of exploding costs. And that’s 100 million less than what the theater community estimated as a minimum viable threshold. Look at this big gap.
While waiting for the budget, on March 6, the Quebec Theater Council held a “political café” to quantify “the minimum threshold expected” by the theater so that the CALQ could meet its mandates to support creation. , to the production and dissemination of Quebec arts.
The sixty participants had established at 260 million “this threshold, which exposes [s’il n’est pas atteint] a breaking line, a red flag,” as co-president Michelle Parent called it in a Facebook message.
This amount, give or take a few million, was already circulating in discussions on social networks, from the mouths of experienced cultural managers.
During the CQT’s reflection, this amount was based on an allocation of 200 million, to which would be added a minimum indexation of 30% “so that [le CQT] to face the challenges linked to inflation and exploding costs”.
A sum less than 260 million, judged the organization, “will set back the conditions of the cultural and arts sector” and will not allow the integrity of the theater sector to be preserved.
The Independent Network of Presenters of United Artistic Events (RIDEAU) had already reacted to the budget, revealing itself to be concerned. “It was necessary and urgent to catch up with historic funding, particularly in broadcasting. Currently, I have difficulty seeing how this will be possible,” declared the president, David Laferrière.
” We must react “
Friday, the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD) released a press release. “Our apprehensions are materializing. Thus, support for the performing arts is in decline, at a time when its fragility is particularly acute. »
“The special funds injected with the aim of limiting the effects of the pandemic and other measures have not been renewed,” continues the RQD. “It is therefore the disappearance of sums that the announced bonus will not be enough to compensate for. This is all the more true since all other CALQ programs will not even be indexed. »
“However, the effects of the health crisis are still being felt. They have also caused significant structural changes to which we must react, including the departure of a workforce which has weakened under the arduousness of the work and exhaustion”, concludes the organization which brings together dancers, teachers and choreographers.
Financial stability for four years
This CALQ budget was particularly anticipated, because 2024 is a pivotal year. It is this year that the granting of Support for the CALQ mission will be decided. This four-year funding provides cultural organizations with a financial base for this period.
Our apprehensions materialize. Thus, support for the performing arts is in decline, at a time when its fragility is particularly acute.
However, because of the pandemic, the last funding exercise for Mission Support was held seven years ago, in 2017, as confirmed by the CALQ in Duty. Many young organizations have since aspired to this support. Many organizations that have already celebrated a few anniversaries hope to “go operational”, as we say in the jargon. And many of those who benefit from it want to see it increase so they can grow a little, improve their conditions.
In 2023-2024, the CALQ envelope for Mission Support was $82.3 million. It provided financial support to more than 400 artistic organizations. The credits allocated for 2024-2025 to the CALQ suggest, according to comments from stakeholders in the field, that this budget will be able to meet neither needs nor expectations, and will leave several organizations in a precarious situation.
The selection of organizations that will receive Mission Support for the next four years will be revealed in the summer, most likely in June.