The need to increase the presence of the French language and Québec culture, given the rise of foreign digital content platforms, especially American ones, was stressed by Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe during his speech to the Council for International Relations of Montréal (CORIM).
To this end, a group of experts was set up to support the implementation of measures to strengthen the French language in the digital environment, with members such as Louise Beaudoin, Véronique Guèvremont, Clément Duhaime and Patrick Taillon.
Above all, a strong culture
Secretary Lacombe spoke of the importance of a strong Quebec culture, capable of gaining vitality and influence, to reverse the decline of French and preserve Quebec’s cultural identity.
However, in order to achieve this vision, several aspects must be considered:
- Tirelessly support our artists and creators by providing them with adequate resources to conceive and disseminate their works. Positioning yourself vigorously against foreign competition, especially the US, is crucial.
- Appreciating and integrating the rich diversity of First Nations and cultural communities that contribute to the uniqueness and vitality of our heritage.
- Improving the accessibility of Québec works both locally and internationally and increasing the visibility of Québec cultural events.
- Adopt public policies and regulations that favor the promotion of Quebec culture, such as: B. Quotas for local content or tax incentives for cultural companies.
Powerful digital content
Measures to strengthen the French language in the digital universe should include:
- Assistance in the creation, distribution and promotion of high quality digital content in French, such as films, series, video games, applications and websites.
- Funding, training and resources to help French-speaking digital content creators develop and promote their projects.
- Collaboration with digital platforms to highlight French-language content and facilitate access to this content.
- The integration of digital education initiatives and awareness of the importance of the French language in school programs and communication campaigns.
- The implementation of laws and regulations to protect and promote the French language in the digital environment, such as B. the obligation for digital giants to fund and promote French language content.
- The sustainable development and implementation of technologies and digital tools in French.
It is also crucial to build closer and more ambitious collaborations with other countries in the French-speaking world to share resources, ideas and experiences in order to strengthen the presence of French in the global digital space that has almost 2 billion internet users.
