A few months before the elections, the Minister for Culture and Communication, Nathalie Roy, draws a positive balance of the past four years, even if “the pandemic has mixed up the cards for everyone and [que] it was very difficult for the environment.” The newspaper discussed various topics with her that have shaped her industry in recent years.
Law 35 on the status of the artist
Earlier this month, Quebec’s National Assembly unanimously passed Minister Roy’s Bill 35, which aims to “modernize and harmonize rules relating to the professional status of artists.”
What will this really change? “We bring cultural industrial relations into the 21st century. There were two laws in 1987 and 1988 and we made one. There is now only one category of artists. All artists now have a right of recourse, including in the case of bullying and sexual harassment. »
The labor shortage
The cultural sector is also affected by a major labor shortage. Recently, shows in Trois-Rivières had to be canceled due to a lack of technicians.
What has Ms. Roy planned to counter this scourge? “We’re in a kind of funnel effect right now because there are so many shows. The environment is a victim of its own success. […] In the audiovisual field, we injected $1.3 million [à l’AQPM et l’INIS] to train nearly 260 new professionals in this field. I have also doubled the amounts for grants to run organizations. This allows them to pay their people better. »
The effects of the pandemic
The cultural sector has been severely affected by the pandemic, but Nathalie Roy prefers to be optimistic after more than two years of crisis. “There is an expression ‘some bad luck is good’. A certain complicity arose from this. I am very proud that I managed to understand the issues and ensure that artists from all cultural backgrounds are supported during this ordeal that we have all been through. To see today that activities have resumed and the event halls are already 100% full for the autumn is unheard of. »
Help for festivals
Several cultural events owe their survival to various state aids over the past two years. Will the Ministry of Culture continue to help in the coming years, even after operations have returned to normal?
“Last April, I sought almost $226 million more to set up a three-year plan [appelé Plan pour consolider, faire briller et propulser le milieu culturel], replied the minister. People in the community told me how much they needed to know that the government would be there for several years. This money will therefore support them post COVID. We are resolutely looking to the future. »
blue surfaces
Minister Roy was in Baie-St-Paul in Charlevoix this week to announce the fourth Espace Bleu. Does the CAQ still aim to open 17 museums in all regions of Quebec in the coming years?
“That is the government’s intention,” replies Ms. Roy. But this is an election year and it’s not true that we’re announcing 14 right away. We will take our time to choose them well. […] The first three Blue Spaces are under construction. We’re really proud of what’s out there. We can’t wait to introduce them to Quebec. They will be places where the history, the builders, the heroes and the heroines of each region will be known. »
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?