La culture, le coeur du Québec

Due to the lack of representation of the arts and culture sector at the Rendez-vous national de la main-d’oeuvre (National workforce meeting) last week, a group of 50+ arts and culture organizations have come together to launch La culture, le cœur du Québec – Pour des carrières durables. The campaign aims to alert the government to the realities of self-employment in the arts and culture sector, as well as the challenges involved in sector training and development.

The group has two main goals: (1) to include a human resources section into the next cultural policy that describes the realities of the sector and integrates solutions that meet the specific needs of the sector in terms of hiring, professional development and versatility, and professional transitions; (2) to implement a governmental action plan led by the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity of Québec in order to have a united vision among various ministries and organizations concerned with workforce issues in the cultural sector.

Learn more (FR Only):

La culture s’invite au Rendez-vous national sur la main-d’oeuvre, Le Devoir
Les travailleurs culturels parlent de main-d’oeuvre, Le Soleil
Rendez-vous sur la main-d’oeuvre : la communauté artistique veut être entendue, Radio-Canada

Land Acknowledgement

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtià:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabemowin are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.