QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development
Support for Canadian Artists
April 27, 2022
Good afternoon, minister. Welcome to the Senate.
In 2020, the National Advisory Council on Poverty released its first report, in which it recommended that the Government of Canada do the following:
. . . build on its COVID-19 response and strengthen existing strategies, programs and policies to ensure a coordinated robust social safety net in Canada by collectively providing income support that is at least at the level of Canada’s Official Poverty Line.
Minister, more than ever before, the pandemic made artists’ financial insecurity and poverty abundantly clear, but unfortunately artists were struggling long before the pandemic hit. According to 2016 data, the median income of an artist in Canada was about $24,300. I’m sure you agree that this is unacceptable, and something has to change.
How will the federal government act on the National Advisory Council on Poverty’s recommendations? Will it provide artists and cultural workers with a better social safety net in the short, medium and long terms?
Thank you for that excellent question.
Again, it’s not necessarily my department that handles such matters, but I know that my colleague, Minister Qualtrough, is holding consultations on employment insurance with a view to making it less complicated and easier for Canadians to access.
I know that she is also working with the provinces and territories on issues pertaining to persons living with disabilities. As you mentioned, this is a complex benefits system that affects all Canadians.
With respect to artists, in particular, I know that my colleague, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, is currently working with various cultural groups to see what opportunities exist to support Canadian artists in all art forms.
We are working to support Canadian artists, because culture is very important in Canada.
