Montreal, March 13, 2024 – En Piste, the national association for circus arts, deems the announced funding of $28.5 million over 5 years to support cultural organizations in their operations insufficient.
The additional $4.8 million granted to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for the 2024-2025 fiscal year barely compensates for inflation and certainly does not meet the urgent needs of the sector, which remains fragile, notably due to the reduction in COVID-related aid.
In November 2023, En Piste submitted specific requests to the Minister of Finance, Mr. Eric Girard:
• Support the implementation of a circus arts promotion campaign
• Ensure the upgrading of circus infrastructure in Quebec
• Sustain and structure financial support for the circus arts sector
• Amend tax credits granted to performing arts at SODEC
• Address labor shortages and employment challenges for companies
“En Piste acknowledges the Minister’s caution, but we will remain vigilant regarding the needs of the community,” states Tim Roberts, President of En Piste’s Board of Directors. “Mr. Girard can be assured of our availability and commitment to continue the conversation initiated with the submission of our brief The Future of Circus – We Must Act Now! in November 2023. Whether through the deployment of our training sector or by ensuring the essential presence of body arts as an integral part of the cultural passport for youth, we will be attentive.”
Following the closed-door meeting with Minister Mathieu Lacombe, alongside a dozen representatives from the cultural sector, En Piste’s Executive Director, Nadia Drouin, asserts that: “Given that the funds allocated to the cultural sector are well below the requests submitted to CALQ, we must remain attentive to the community’s condition, ensure strategic monitoring, and intervene with the Minister of Culture and Communications should the situation deteriorate.”
About En Piste
Founded in 1997, En Piste is the sole national association for circus arts, bringing together nearly 600 individual members and organizations in the sector. It works to establish favorable conditions for the development of circus arts across Canada, by gathering the circus community, consolidating cohesion within the field, and promoting circus to governmental bodies as well as to local, national, and international audiences and presenters.
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Contact Information
Eloi Savoie
Interim Communications Director
En Piste, National Association for Circus Arts
514-529-1183 ext. 104 | esavoie@enpiste.qc.ca