Québec culture
A FEW FIGURES ON CULTURE IN QUÉBEC
Québec has a population of just 7.8 million, yet its cultural life is vibrant and diversified. The domestic market is open to the world and at the same time highly receptive to local creators.
Québec artists are making their mark internationally and some have even become world pace-setters in their field.
In Québec
Overall assessments of the economic impact of culture in Québec vary according to the criteria used. Nonetheless, it is clear that the cultural sector accounts for tens of thousands of jobs in all regions of Québec and billions of dollars of economic activity.
In a study released in 2009, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal calculated that culture in the Montréal region alone is responsible for more 96,000 direct jobs and approximately 12 billion dollars in economic benefits for the region. The indirect impacts for industries such as tourism and restaurants are also significant.
All things considered, Quebecers actively benefit from various aspects of cultural life in Québec:
- Paid admissions to live entertainment performances and film screenings are in the vicinity of 32 million. In addition, millions of spectators attend the many free performances at festivals and other popular events.
- Book sales stand at over 800 million dollars annually.
- Québec museums attract about 12 million visitors per year.
- Made-in-Québec productions consistently make up the majority of Québec’s most popular television shows, with audiences regularly exceeding two million viewers and peak levels exceeding three million (nearly 40% of the total population).
The Québec government supports the vitality of the arts and culture on an ongoing basis, with annual expenditures amounting to more than 930 million dollars. In recent years support for the arts and the cultural sector jumped significantly from $99.30 per capita in 2003-2004 to $120.69 per capita in 2007-2008. An additional $628 million (2008 figures) was invested by municipalities and through contributions by the federal government.
The government is open to innovative ways to support the vitality of the arts and has even created the Fonds Capital Culture Québec, a venture capital fund with financing of $100 million
