Quebec has a program that provides funding annually for virtual exhibits. Funding is available to us through that program. In 2016, we received a tidy sum, $120,000, to develop an interactive project entitled Savoir-faire. We were able to showcase heritage trades that were in decline, such as sash making, which is phenomenal.
For Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations, we undertook a virtual reality project. We had 165 young actors, from schools throughout the Saint-Laurent borough, participate in a seven-part retelling of the history of Saint-Laurent, beginning with the great peace of Montreal. It was wonderful. The possibility of doing those kinds of projects is always there, but it would no longer pose a challenge if the government were to provide indexed funding for operations.
As things stand, we are forced to pursue initiatives that are in line with the programs. In the meantime, though, our first mission is being undermined. If you give us indexed operating funding, we'll be able to undertake digital initiatives anytime.
To be completely frank, the virtual exhibit program has been around for a long time, and the budget is staggering. I'm not sure, though, that many people actually visit a museum's virtual exhibits. In some cases, those exhibits could be real as opposed to virtual. The money spent on the program could be used elsewhere. There was a time when virtual exhibits were appealing, but today, that is less the case.