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Montréal, Tuesday, March 25, 2025 – The 21 organizations that form the Front commun pour les arts welcome the budget presented on March 25, 2025, with satisfaction and extend their thanks to Ministers Éric Girard and Mathieu Lacombe.
Since the release of the budget in March 2024, Le Front commun has taken shape and intensified its efforts to bring recognition to the crisis facing the arts sector, while launching an exceptional and interdisciplinary mobilization. The aim of this movement was to halt the deterioration of the cultural ecosystem by calling for rapid and sustainable action from the Government of Quebec.
In this regard, le Front commun welcomes the investment bringing the total credits for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) to $200 million over the next three years. A significant portion of this amount has been made permanent. The permanent funding thus increases from $106M to approximately $165M. This progress will provide greater predictability, a key demand of the movement. In the short term, the distribution of these new funds is a matter requiring close monitoring, with further details expected soon.
These funds serve as recognition of the fact that our culture is under threat and deserves its rightful place among the socio-economic and identity-building pillars of our society.
The new funding provides a first step toward stability for the sector and must mark the beginning of sustained collaboration to address the systemic and structural challenges that have multiplied in recent years. These issues have had devastating impacts not only on the working conditions of artists and cultural workers, but also on the quality, accessibility, and the reach of their srtistic works across the province and internationally.
Making local culture a true priority
It took a historic mobilization by the artistic communities to achieve these gains. They would not have been possible without the rigorous efforts of Le Front commun’s members, the support of the GMAQ, and the broad endorsements received from across society—including academia, the economic and political spheres, the scientific community, youth, and the public at large.
The progress achieved through the actions surrounding le Front commun pour les arts and its allies must now serve as a foundation on which to build a sustainable and thriving cultural sector, in the best interest of Quebec society as a whole.
“Québec needs its culture—everywhere. Bold, unifying, ever-evolving. For art to emerge, grow, travel, and reach people, we need resources. This budget is a step in the right direction—a concrete and important gesture. That said, the needs are enormous, and the work must go on. The Front commun is ready for what’s next.”
— David Laferrière, président, Association professionnelle des diffuseurs de spectacles (RIDEAU)
“The oxygen provided by this budget will give us the energy to continue our efforts to preserve our cultural identity, maintain the vitality of our artistic ecosystem, and improve artists’ socio-economic conditions.”
— Caroline Gignac, directrice générale, Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT)
“In today’s context, where cultural and national sovereignties are under serious threat, culture is our refuge—a tool of defence that allows us to affirm our identity. The government could not afford to withhold support from a cultural sector that has shown signs of serious decline for over a year. Now we need a forward-looking vision that can restore and sustain our cultural ecosystem.”
— Tania Kontoyanni, présidente, Union des artistes (UDA)
About the Front commun pour les arts
The Front commun pour les arts brings together 21 organizations representing diverse artistic and cultural sectors across Québec. United by a shared mission, these organizations are working to defend the vitality, diversity, and future of culture in Québec. In the face of economic pressures and social challenges, the Front commun advocates for government investment in the cultural sector to ensure the long-term sustainability of Québec’s arts and creativity.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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