Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

Artists and cultural workers in the Outaouais region, grappling with growing financial pressures,
came together on February 27 at Le Minotaure for an evening of solidarity and mobilization.
Organized by Culture Outaouais, the event united nearly 50 participants to confront the
escalating funding crisis threatening Quebec’s cultural sector.

Under the theme, Solidarité culturelle – Ensemble face à la crise , the evening provided a
platform for open discussion, where attendees voiced concerns over budget cuts, institutional
closures, and broader instability in the arts sector. Representatives from Culture Outaouais
outlined the current nationwide demands for increased cultural funding and positioned the
Outaouais region within this broader movement.

“This event was meant as a space for connection and solidarity,” said Clara Lagacé, co-
president of Culture Outaouais. “We hope it marks the beginning of a collective mobilization in
Outaouais.”

The gathering echoed the recent advocacy efforts of the Front commun pour les arts, which is
calling for a $200 million increase in funding for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
(CALQ) in the next fiscal year. Many attendees expressed concerns that without urgent
intervention, underfunding could jeopardize artistic practice in both the short and long term.

Photo: Outaouais’ artistic community is rallying together in the face of adversity, uniting in a
collective effort to address the financial challenges threatening the region’s cultural sector. (TF)
Photo: courtesy of Culture Outaouais