Madam Chair, members of the committee, RIDEAU is the professional association of performing arts presenters. We represent close to 170 members, including about 100 performance presenters at about 350 performance spaces in Quebec. Together, our members make it possible to raise the curtain over 20,000 times for nearly 5.2 million audience members each year.
Our members are primarily multidisciplinary presenters. This means that, in a single season, they present works from various performing arts disciplines and also help showcase emerging talent. In their communities, they are often the primary professional gateway to the performing arts. Above all, our members are not merely venue managers, they are a fundamental link in the artistic chain. They select the works, take the artistic risks, build audiences and support the touring of productions across Quebec and Canada. They enable works to leave their birthplace to reach audiences in major urban centres and across the regions.
For the next generation of artists, their role is crucial. An emerging artist doesn't just need a space to create; they need a venue willing to program and promote their work, and to take an artistic risk.
Supporting presenters also means supporting the artists and companies that depend on works going out on tour to advance their careers and reach their audiences. That's why our message today is unambiguous: If performance spaces become vulnerable, Canada's entire capacity to support its artists, take its works out on tour and reach Canadian audiences also becomes vulnerable. Unfortunately, this vulnerability is already very palpable.
Yet, presenters make a significant contribution to the economy. A study conducted for RIDEAU by the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts found that its members generate $23.7 million in net tax revenue for various levels of government. Their local impact is also significant. A study commissioned by Réseau Scènes estimates that, each year, its member presenters in the Greater Montreal area generate an average of $2.38 million in indirect economic spinoffs in their communities.
Unfortunately, despite these well-documented contributions, presenters remain underfunded. Before the pandemic, multidisciplinary presenters received less than 30% of their total revenue, on average, from public funding, with barely 2.9% coming from the federal government.
The Canada arts presentation fund is one of the few federal tools that directly recognize the role of organizations that present professional arts festivals or performing arts series. The government has announced a $46.5 million investment in this fund over three years, starting in fiscal year 2026-27.
This is a step in the right direction, but it's still woefully inadequate given the real increase in costs and the responsibilities assumed by presenters. Today, presenters must contend with rising operating costs across the board. The financial model for live performance relies heavily on ticket sales, but according to RIDEAU data, over 70% of any show's revenue is already absorbed by artist fees, royalties and performance rights before presenters can even cover their own expenses.
Now, add to this the issue of maintaining assets and infrastructure. A recent report by Théâtres associés shows that the net cost of performance space management increased by 53% between fiscal year 2017-18 and fiscal year 2023-24, while inflation was at 20.4%. Every dollar spent on maintaining infrastructure is a dollar that doesn't go to programming, artists, emerging talent or audience development. We cannot claim to support the next generation of artists if the spaces that must welcome them, showcase them and help them gain exposure are themselves placed in a state of constant vulnerability.
RIDEAU therefore makes three recommendations.
First, the Canada arts presentation fund should be substantially increased so that it can adequately meet the needs of presenters and reflect the reality of presentation costs, as well as the strategic role presenters play in artists' careers.
Second, a strong federal capacity for cultural infrastructure should be re-established—one that is not limited to specialized equipment but also supports asset maintenance, renovations, universal accessibility, the energy transition, climate adaptation and venue safety.
Third, presenters should be explicitly recognized as essential partners in any strategy for emerging talent. The next generation will not develop solely through creation; they will develop through engagement with audiences, the exposure of works and performance spaces' ability to take artistic risks.
For decades, governments have invested in a network of cultural venues that constitutes a collective heritage, but this network cannot be taken for granted. Without strong performance spaces, there is no way to sustainably guarantee that works gain exposure. Without strong presenters, there is no equitable access to the performing arts. Without engagement with audiences, there is no true career advancement for artists.
Thank you very much. I look forward to your questions.