Proposed cuts threaten Quebec cultural access

Tashi Farmilo

Quebec’s cultural sector is urging the provincial government to reverse proposed cuts to the Culture in Schools program, warning the reductions would significantly limit student access to arts and cultural activities across the province. Réseau Culture 360°, which represents Quebec’s regional culture councils, called on Education Minister Sonia LeBel to abandon the planned reductions.

The Auditor General of Quebec’s November 2025 report to the National Assembly stated that the Education Department intended to reduce the program’s budget by $13 million beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, followed by further reductions the next year that would bring total cuts to roughly half of the current funding envelope. The changes would also affect school trips to cultural venues.

The province recorded a $5.2 billion deficit for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, placing the proposed reductions within a broader context of budgetary pressures.

The plan has drawn criticism from a coalition of cultural organizations, including the Front commun pour les arts and RIDEAU, the professional association of performing arts presenters. RIDEAU said research shows a direct link between exposure to cultural works during schooling and attendance at live performances in adulthood.

A petition launched by the Front commun pour les arts calls on the government to maintain current funding levels and ensure the program’s sustainability. As of February 19, more than 18,000 people had signed the petition, which remains open until March 23. The petition is available on the National Assembly website: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-11971/index.html?

The petition states that the proposed reductions, estimated at nearly 60 per cent of the current budget, would affect students, teachers and cultural workers and undermine efforts to promote Quebec’s French language culture.

During question period at the National Assembly on February 18, former Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois criticized the Education Department’s plan, asking whether the minister intended to be remembered for weakening children’s access to culture.

LeBel said the budget process is ongoing and that final allocations will be known when the next provincial budget is tabled. She added that the government has invested more than $112 million in culture since 2019 and reiterated the importance of connecting children with Quebec culture at an early age.

The Union of Artists also raised concerns. Its president Tania Kontoyanni said that for many students, particularly those outside major urban centres, school activities are their primary contact with the cultural sector. She questioned the scale of the proposed reductions and called for the culture budget to reach three per cent of Quebec’s overall spending within four years. Cultural groups added that the impact would extend beyond institutions to individual creators, noting that many artists depend on the program as a key source of income and community engagement. Sector data indicate that 95 per cent of visual artists deliver projects in their own region or neighbouring areas through the Culture in Schools program.

Data from the Quebec Institute of Statistics show that school group attendance at museums has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Before 2020, museums received close to one million student visitors annually. That number fell to about 589,000 in 2022 and has increased only slightly since.

“In the Outaouais region, where cultural outings and the Culture in Schools program are essential drivers of access to culture for our youth, the announced cuts would have a direct and devastating impact on our students and on the vitality of our cultural community. Given that 75 per cent of youth theatre performances in Quebec take place in the regions, it is our tours, our presenters, and our artists who would be hit hardest,” said Julie Martineau, executive director of Culture Outaouais.