The Quebec artistic community mobilized on Thursday afternoon, despite the rain, demonstrating loudly in front of the offices of the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, on De Bleury Street, chanting slogans such as “No future without culture” or “Artists are not free!”

More than a thousand cultural workers answered the call of the four organizers of this gathering: Sarah Laurendeau, Mireille Tawfik, Hugo Frejabise, and Geneviève Gagné, who later addressed the crowd gathered on De Bleury Street, which was closed to traffic, just north of Sainte-Catherine Street.

A mausoleum was made available to participants for them to deposit objects related to projects not funded by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), which received an allocation of $28 million over four years to enhance its programs in Quebec’s latest budget.

The four instigators of this first Major Demonstration are demanding an upward revision of funds allocated to the arts. “We are requesting an additional $100 million for the CALQ budget,” specified Sarah Laurendeau, an actress and DJ, who stated she was “confused, furious, worried, and exhausted” in her address.

The messages were not lacking in originality: “Free to be pissed off.” “I would have liked to be a paid artist.” “To be paid or not to be paid, that is the question.” “Culture will not always remain.” “The Poor Soprano.”

To the great astonishment of the demonstrators, Minister Mathieu Lacombe put on his raincoat and mingled with the crowd to listen to the speeches of the artists who took turns at the microphone to denounce the underfunding of the arts.

Interviewed by La Presse, Mr. Lacombe stated he was sensitive to the concerns of the community. “I came to listen to them,” he said. “I understand they would have wished for more in the budget, but it was a starting point. The second step, as I have already indicated, is to find additional funds within the budgets allocated to me.”

Minister Lacombe insisted that “the CALQ budget had increased by 35% since 2018, well beyond inflation, which rose by 22% during the same period.” “Now I understand that the needs are there, and I am looking for additional funds,” he said, believing that Québec Solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal was exaggerating when she said he “despised culture.”

Asked whether an allocation of $100 million over four years was realistic, the minister sought to temper expectations.

“It will certainly not be $100 million, but I believe we can take an additional step to enhance the CALQ budget,” concluded the minister. An announcement to that effect could be made “in a few days,” he specified before continuing his sometimes heated discussions with artists who came to demonstrate.

Many artists, companies, and cultural organizations have, in any case, loudly expressed their support for the demands made by the four performing artists.

Actress Sophie Cadieux also spoke: “We have this damned habit of building infrastructure in Quebec. Places, agoras, halls, stages, experiences, but when it comes time to inhabit these places, mysteriously we no longer have the means…”

“I am delighted to be here,” said the president of the Union des artistes, Tania Kontoyanni. “It does me good to see this mobilization. During the pandemic, CALQ funded many projects for laboratories and the creation of works, but several of these projects did not receive funding for dissemination, hence the mausoleum. Today, artists’ daily lives are affected; there has been no indexation since 2017, companies are fearful and reducing their offerings…”

The General Director of the circus association En Piste, Nadia Drouin, was also present. “Fewer than 10 circus companies receive mission-based support from CALQ, she laments, thus the ecosystem is extremely fragile and relies on projects. Circus artists are barely surviving; many no longer believe in it; they are exhausted and considering leaving the field. Furthermore, there has been a 30% decrease in international performances, and that’s for the privileged companies that receive assistance. So, it is not a joyful time.”

In response to the grand tributes from members of the CAQ government regarding the role of artists in society, described as “souls of the Quebec people” by former Minister of Culture Nathalie Roy, actor and director Hugo Frejabise aptly summarized the artists’ frustration: “Why so many honors and so little value, government comrades?”

Other demonstrations are planned for May and June. However, discussions are continuing with the office of the Minister of Culture and Communications.