A few days beneficial to reflection and consultation have passed since Mark Carney’s government tabled its first budget. Last Friday, at a press conference, Minister Steven Guilbeault described the investments in the arts community as “historic,” stating that this is the largest budget ever allocated to culture.
Let’s welcome the renewals and enhancements
Primarily geared toward supporting the audiovisual industries, this budget is welcomed by the film, television, and digital platform sectors, which will see their production and distribution capabilities strengthened thanks to the confirmation of substantial financial support. The 2025 budget also announces the federal government’s intention to create a resale right system in the visual arts, which has been rightly demanded for nearly 20 years.
“The resale right, which allows artists to receive a share of the value of their works when they are resold, will make a tangible contribution to improving the income and working conditions of artists across Canada.”
Camille Cazin, Executive Director of the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec
Another source of relief: Festivals and presenters will benefit from the renewal of funding for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and Building Communities through Arts and Heritage programs.
Identifying the shortcomings
However, this is not a time for celebrations. For artists, companies and organisations supported by the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), the budget points to difficult years ahead.
We fully recognize the value of the federal government’s decision to finally exempt the CAC from the 15% cut imposed by the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER). However, we unanimously express our deep concern about the very limited increase in funding allocated to the CAC. Last year, we repeated tirelessly that artistic production and dissemination costs are skyrocketing and that inflation is undermining the living and working conditions of artists and cultural workers alike. It is imperative that the funds allocated to the various arts councils keep pace.
In March 2025, Québec recognized this fact, and the budget of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec was significantly increased to $200 million. It is worth noting the commitment made by the new mayor of Montréal to significantly and rapidly increase funding for the Conseil des arts de Montréal from approximately $22 million to $30 million by 2028. However, the $2 million per year increase in the CAC’s budget, barely 0.5% of its total budget, is considered clearly insufficient. This contribution falls well short of the sector’s actual needs, estimated at $140 million by the Canadian Arts Coalition. New investments are needed to support creators, meet the high standards of quality required for artistic production, and ensure competitiveness in all markets. The funds allocated to the CAC do not bode well for maintaining what has been achieved or for the long-awaited improvement in working conditions. It should not be forgotten that the CAC has already had to cut its budget by 2.7% in the last year and that the disruption to services is already being felt despite all the efforts made by the Crown corporation.
“Several testimonials from artists and organizations in Québec and across Canada mention that they have not received any support since 2023, either for projects or for operations. The erosion of the ecosystem is palpable on the ground and continues to create disastrous situations in terms of the creation and dissemination of works.”
Sonia Pelletier, Executive Director of REPAIRE
Higher education institutions are also left behind, with yet another stagnation recorded over the last 15 years in the Canada Arts Training Fund (CTFA), affecting their operating budgets. This new freeze comes after an incomplete and imperfect initial upgrade of the fund.
Finally, we regret the absence of clear measures regarding the social safety net for artists, which has been repeatedly demanded by the community and promised during the election campaign. Last spring, the Front commun pour les arts prioritized the implementation of a process that would lead to a comprehensive, inclusive, and well-documented proposal. Many disciplinary associations and Québec unions have since entrusted Compétence Culture, our sectoral workforce committee, with the mandate to conduct rigorous research and consultation aimed at defining a protection model adapted to the multifaceted realities of artistic work. Concrete responses regarding federal financial support for this responsible and ambitious project are still pending.
“The chronic precariousness of artists is not inevitable: it is the result of a public framework that is ill-suited to the realities of artistic work. It is high time that the government ensured that artists, through various complementary measures, enjoy living conditions worthy of their immense contribution to society.”
Parise Mongrain, Executive Director of the Regroupement québécois de la danse.
Call to action
We, a collective of disciplinary, union, and territorial associations based in Québec, call on Minister Steven Guilbeault, as Québec Lieutenant of the Liberal Party of Canada, and Minister of Finance and National Revenue, François-Philippe Champagne to engage in an open and constructive dialogue with us.
In March 2025, Québec did its part. It invested in arts and culture to energize, promote, and showcase its national identity through the work of its artists and artisans. However, the increases granted by the Québec government to arts and culture cannot compensate for the federal government’s clear disengagement from artists working in Québec: while the audiovisual sector has benefited from targeted increases, the performing arts, visual arts, literature, and crafts remain largely neglected.
We must demand greater consistency in government discourse and decisions at the dawn of what appears to be a real public health crisis, characterized in particular by screen addiction and the erosion of social cohesion. In fact, in a world as polarized as ours, culture must be supported more than ever so that it can truly play its role: strengthening the sovereignty, identity, and humanity of its territory.
The following members of the Front commun pour les arts have signed this call for collaboration:
Parise Mongrain, Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD)
Caroline Gignac, Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT)
Hélène Hotton, Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ)
Sonia Pelletier, Regroupement de pairs des arts indépendants de recherche et d’expérimentation (REPAIRE)
Catherine Bodmer, Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec (RCAAQ)
Camille Cazin, Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec ( RAAV)
Nadia Drouin, En Piste, regroupement national des arts du cirque
Julie-Anne Richard, Association professionnelle des diffuseurs de spectacles – RIDEAU
Guy Bernard, Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ)
Lily Thibeault, Société de développement des périodiques culturels québécois (SODEP)
Dominic Trudel, Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM)
Éric Lord, Réseau Culture 360°
Françoise Landry, Regroupement des arts de rue (RAR)
Tania Kontoyanni, Union des artistes (UDA)
Mo Carpels, Regroupement du conte au Québec (RCQ)