The Front commun pour les arts Reacts to the Québec Budget 

An Inspiring Budget for the Arts Sector: Le Front commun Celebrates a Major Victory

Montréal, Tuesday, March 25, 2025 – The 21 organizations of the Front commun pour les arts welcome the budget presented on March 25, 2025, with satisfaction and extend their thanks to Ministers Éric Girardand 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 credits provide 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.

Sustainability remains a major concern

That said, the distribution and long-term continuation of these new funds will require close monitoring, and further details should be shared soon. Moreover, the fact that this budget does not ensure the indexation of CALQ’s core programs will undoubtedly create another impasse in the coming years.

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.

Frontcommunpourlesarts.ca

For more information

Véronique Gravel, Conseil québécois du théâtre
514-717-3641, [email protected]

Source

The Front commun pour les arts includes:

• Association des galeries d’art contemporain (AGAC)
• Association des cinémas parallèles du Québec (ACPQ)
• Association professionnelle de diffuseurs de spectacles (RIDEAU)
• Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec (CMAQ)
• Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM)
• Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT)
• DOC Québec
• En Piste, Regroupement national des arts du cirque
• Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture et (FNCC-CSN)
• Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ)
• Regroupement de pairs des arts indépendants de recherche et d’expérimentation (REPAIRE)
• Regroupement des arts de rue du Québec (RAR)
• Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels (RAAV)
• Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec (RCAAQ)
• Regroupement du conte au Québec (RCQ)
• Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD)
• Réseau Culture 360°
• Société de développement des périodiques culturels québécois (SODEP)
• Société des musées du Québec (SMQ)
• Union des artistes (UDA)
• Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ)