Communiqués

Federal, provincial, territorial meeting

Minister Line Beauchamp to Speak on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the Living and Practical Conditions of Artists

Québec City, October 29, 2004 – The Minister of Culture and Communications, Line Beauchamp, will be taking part in the upcoming federal, provincial and territorial meeting of ministers responsible for Culture and Heritage, to be held in Halifax next October 29 and 30.

Underlining the convergence of viewpoints and actions between Canadian and Québec authorities in terms of cultural diversity, Ms. Beauchamp has pointed out her intention of working hand-in-hand with the federal government to raise the interest of the other provinces and territories in terms of cultural diversity. “I will inform my colleagues of Québec’s commitment in this field, and the steps that were taken to promote the adoption, by UNESCO, of an international convention on the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expressions”, she affirmed, adding that “Premier Jean Charest has made this endeavour a government priority. As he stated himself in May 2003, Québec will pull out all the stops to keep the right to promote its culture.”

The Minister indicated she is pleased with the presence of the spokespeople of the Coalition for Cultural Diversity at the Halifax meeting and reiterated the important role played by the Coalition on the national and international scene. “The Coalition has culled membership from the civil society both here and abroad and has imposed itself as an effective partner to raise awareness among the public and political authorities. Thanks to the dynamism of its Québec and Canadian representatives, close to twenty coalitions for cultural diversity have sprung up elsewhere around the globe and are kernels of vigilance and influence.”

Ms. Beauchamp will be presenting the approach advocated by Québec in a bid to strengthen the social safety net, notably by the implementation of fiscal measures for artists. This step, in unison with the cultural community, led to the adoption in June of a law allowing for the updating of the twin legislation on the professional status of artists and for the tabling of an action plan to improve the socioeconomic conditions of artists called Living better from art. The plan is to be implemented by a standing secretariat overseeing the socioeconomic conditions of artists, backed by a committee made up of representatives from the cultural community.

“We have made the improvement of the living and working conditions of artists a priority. Our action plan comprises twelve concrete measures that allow us to seek out the collaboration of various government departments and agencies. It is a success of which I am very proud, and one of which I intend to share, with my counterparts of the other provinces and territories, the approach and steps we have taken to achieve this”, stated Minister Line Beauchamp.

Source :

Christiane Bolduc
Direction générale des communications
Phone: 514 873-2979

Information :

Isabelle Melançon
Press Attachée
Cabinet de la ministre de la Culture
et des Communications
Phone: 418 380-2310