Joining an artist network in Quebec can foster connections, collaborations, and showcase your artwork to a captive audience.
In a chatty update, the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, shared some buzz about potential changes for artists in Quebec. This conversation happened during the budgetary study of his ministry last week. The main theme? Better financial conditions for artists, a commitment shared by the federal party (wink, wink).
Steven Guilbeault, our Minister of Canadian Heritage, has been hinting at the possibility of implementing a social safety net for artists through employment insurance. Sounds like he's got some plans up his sleeve, according to our inside scoop.
During an election debate on culture, Guilbeault had promised to bring in the needed reforms to establish this social safety net. It could take the form of insurance similar to that which covers seasonal workers, like fisher-folks, or employment insurance—either way, it could make a big difference for the arts scene, in Quebec and Canada.
At the moment, artists need to come up with new creation or production projects to access grants. This system indirectly encourages the production of works rather than focusing on artists’ financial stability.
Manon Massé, Member of Parliament for Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques, and Quebec solidaire raised this question initially.
The discussion also sparked conversations about repatriating cultural competencies and their envelopes from the federal government to Quebec. Lacombe voiced his support for Quebec having all the powers it needs in matters of culture, a stance that's been shared by governments regardless of their political leanings, even by liberal bigwigs like Jean Lesage and Jean Charest.
Lacombe's strategy seems to be taking unilateral steps rather than asking for permission from Ottawa. He recalled his strategy to frame the digital giants as an example.
Lacombe also mentioned that he'd be depositing his bill on the discoverability of francophone culture in the digital environment for the next few weeks.
One concern that opposition parties kept throwing around was museum funding. Lacombe played it cool, reminding everyone that the program to aid the functioning of museological institutions (PAFIM) has increased by some 32% over the last five years. However, he didn't mention that the number of museums supported by this program has increased, and the average grant per museum has decreased as a result.
In 2019-2022, PAFIM supported 96 institutions with 20.3 million dollars, with an average of 211,458$ per museum. In 2024-2025, there were 124 institutions sharing 25.1 million, with an average of 202,419$. During a time of inflation, while the costs of producing exhibitions have exploded by 30%, according to the Quebec Museums Society (SMQ).
However, 12 newly approved museums are set to be subsidized in 2025, including the Louis-Cyr House, in Lanaudière, the Redpath Museum, in Montreal, the René-Lévesque Space, in Gaspésie, and the Guido Molinari Foundation, in the metropolis.
The question of whether these institutions would also get subsidized, and if not, how many would be left with reduced aid, remains unanswered. These institutions might not know the answer until June, which could be too late to adjust their summer plans.
Another nagging question from the opposition was the end of the universal free museums on the first Sunday of the month.
These debates show that the government is actively thinking about artists’ economic conditions and the role of museums in society. It's an exciting time to keep an eye on these developments!
- Minister of Canadian Heritage, Steven Guilbeault, proposes implementing a social safety net for artists through employment insurance, as a part of policy-and-legislation discussions.
- The Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, supports repatriating cultural competencies and their envelopes from the federal government to Quebec, citing the need for autonomy in cultural matters.
- The discussion about artists' financial conditions and museum funding has led to debates on reducing grants per museum while increasing the number of subsidized institutions.
- The question of whether newly approved museums will receive funding and what implications it will have for those with reduced aid remains unanswered, causing concern among organizations like the Quebec Museums Society (SMQ).
