Montréal, September 27, 2026 - The leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Charles Milliard, is proposing structural measures to defend Quebec’s cultural exception in the context of the trade war with the United States. These measures also aim to develop Quebec’s next generation of cultural leaders and to protect and promote the French language.
For the creation:
The PLQ will provide $40 million in funding for a Fund for Quebec Audiovisual and Music Production. This fund will be used to support the production of Quebec content, initiatives to improve discoverability in the digital realm, and other strategic projects.
- The Quebec Liberal Party maintains that tech giants must contribute fairly to Quebec’s cultural ecosystem.
- We believe that a contribution from foreign platforms should be part of the negotiations with the U.S. government.
- If no agreement is reached, the Quebec government will use every means at its disposal to secure a contribution from the tech giants (3%) to add funds to this fund.
To improve the socioeconomic conditions of artists and encourage artistic creation: The PLQ wants to modernize the social safety net for cultural workers. To do so, we will draw inspiration from the work of the Workshop on the Social Safety Net in the Arts, led by Compétence Culture, whose recommendations are expected in the fall of 2027.
For the regions:
Investing in the long-term sustainability of our museums in all regions : A Liberal government will increase the budget for the Museum Operations Assistance Program (PAFIM) by 20% to support Quebec museums in all regions as they carry out their essential mission of showcasing our cultural, artistic, historical, and scientific heritage. This means that the current budget of $26.5 million will be increased by $5.3 million per year.
Investing in the Promotion of Culture in the Regions : A Liberal government will implement a program to promote the dissemination of Quebec culture outside major urban centers. To achieve this, we will rely on the expertise of the Regional Cultural Councils (CRC), which are key stakeholders in cultural development within their respective regions. Their mandate will be to identify the most appropriate measures for promoting culture in Quebec’s regions, in order to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. This program will have a budget of $5 million per year, including $1.5 million for the CRC.
For discoverability:
Promoting the visibility of Quebec creativity : To showcase Quebec works in the digital space and traditional media, we will invest an additional $5 million per year to enhance SODEC’s content discoverability and promotion programs.
- In 2024–2025, programs for promotion, distribution, exports, and cultural outreach totaled approximately $22 million; our proposal therefore represents a 23% increase.
- Initiatives resulting from this program in the digital space must showcase works available on Canadian digital platforms (Crave, Club Illico, ICI TOU.TV, Télé-Québec, etc.).
Expand the mandate of Quebec’s diplomatic missions abroad to increase the global reach of local artists : To increase the visibility of our local artists and artisans, enable them to practice their art in new markets, and thereby improve their socioeconomic conditions, the Quebec Liberal Party will leverage its network of international delegations, particularly in Francophone markets. A good way for artists to earn a higher income is to secure more contracts.
- This will mean increased promotion of Quebec artists and artisans abroad under bilateral agreements, as well as technical and legal support to help them secure new contracts abroad.
Other structural measures:
Developing Cultural Philanthropy : A liberal government will modernize the Mécénat Placement Culture program to simplify its processes and better adapt them to regional realities. This will involve, in particular, the development of shared tools (by region or artistic field), support for Regional Cultural Councils and other umbrella organizations, and a 1-to-1 matching program.
Artificial intelligence : In addition to broader efforts on this issue, a liberal government will prohibit subsidized cultural organizations from using artificial intelligence in their promotional materials and will promote the government as a role model.
Increase the share of advertising spending in community media : The Quebec Liberal Party proposes raising the threshold from 4% to 8% and making it mandatory for all government departments. The increase will result in an equivalent reduction in the government’s advertising spending with GAFAM.
Establishment of a committee on taxation of the built environment: Establishment of a committee to analyze tax measures related to built heritage in order to propose solutions applicable in Quebec that are based on global best practices. The goal is to make the preservation of built heritage more advantageous for property owners than demolition or abandonment.
- This is a recommendation from the organization Heritage Initiative.
In addition to these commitments are the measures already announced by the Liberal Policy on French, including measures aimed at making reading a national priority, protecting funding for books and school field trips to cultural venues, modernizing public libraries, and promoting the discoverability of French-language content on social media ($115 million over 4 years).
In total, an additional $235 million will be allocated to the cultural sector over the next term. In addition, a government led by Charles Milliard will continue to implement the Quebec Audiovisual Strategy 2026–2031, announced last June.
« Culture is a priority for me and for the Liberal team. It is a way to proudly express who we are, both throughout Quebec and around the world. It is also a vital economic driver for our regions and a powerful vehicle for sharing our common language. Making concrete investments in culture means giving ourselves the means to build a Québec that shines, both here and beyond our borders. »
- Charles Milliard, Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
