QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Jobs and Families
Support for Canadian Artists
December 9, 2025
Good afternoon, minister. Access to Employment Insurance remains a pillar of Canada’s social safety net. Your government has taken temporary measures to maintain that safety net and help Canadian workers by eliminating the one‑week waiting period. However, it is difficult for independent professional artists to qualify for this program, given its criteria. Many artists are calling for a program for self-employed workers in the arts, similar to the one for fishers.
Minister, are you prepared to work with this sector to adapt the Employment Insurance system to the reality of artistic work? If so, how do you intend to do that?
Thank you for that excellent question.
There’s an opportunity, and you have identified it. Your Honour, the senator has pointed out a great opportunity for Canada as we strengthen Employment Insurance, or EI, in a temporary way to respond to tariffs and review the entire EI system. In fact, the Prime Minister has asked us to look at the modernization of social safety nets like EI to ensure that people are not falling through the cracks, and I look forward to this continued work with the senator regarding particular communities left out of EI coverage.
It is a complex program. There are voluntary opportunities to participate in EI. Not everybody participates in EI, and the rules are very confusing for individual Canadians, especially young Canadians who are just starting their careers. I look forward to our collaboration.
Thank you, minister. In addition to adapting Employment Insurance, there are other potential avenues to improve the socio-economic situation of artists. For instance, Ireland launched a pilot, the Basic Income for the Arts, in 2022, which is set to become permanent in 2026. Is your government ready and willing to examine and potentially follow suit on these different ways of improving the situation of artists?
Thank you very much, Your Honour. There are a number of different supports for artists across the federal family that contribute to the stability of our cultural sector. I’m not well positioned to speak about my newly appointed colleague, Minister Miller, but that is something that I know he speaks on very clearly, and I’m very excited to continue that work with him.
Having a vibrant arts and culture community across Canada is important not just for people’s outcomes and incomes, but also for the sovereignty of Canada. We are a very strong, very proud country, and our artists tell our story as no one else can.
