Earlier, representatives from the Société des auteurs et autrices de radio, télévision et cinéma spoke about the manifesto entitled L'Art est humain!, which was read in Montreal at the beginning of the summer, if I remember correctly. It is worth remembering that the world of artistic creation and the cultural world are, above all, human worlds.
This afternoon, we also discussed the issue of the discoverability of cultural content. However, we are not far from the point where we will have to talk about the “rediscoverability” of artists in Canada. Soon, it will be possible to rediscover who is making art, who is expressing themselves authentically, and who is creating cultural products that are worth listening to, reading and consuming.
From an economic standpoint, with regard to jobs in the cultural sector, monitoring the situation step by step and planning for alternative mechanisms would be a good precautionary measure. Various countries, such as France and Belgium, are already considering substitution mechanisms. If Canada lags behind, it will be problematic because it will be too late. There will be fewer creators to produce Canadian content.
For example, earlier we discussed the issue of licensing and the music streaming model. I would remind you of the staggering number of Quebec and Canadian artists who, in recent years, have publicly stated that their income from streaming was $14 or $17. Such income does not provide a living for artists. Clearly, the streaming model is not enough to generate enthusiasm. We will have to think outside the box to find solutions.