This special page will be updated regularly.
April 8: New restrictions apply in orange, red and "dark red" zones. Check out the updates.

Montreal, May 5, 2021 - APASQ, AQAD, ARRQ, FNCC-CSN, GMMQ, SARTEC, TRACE, UDA and UNEQ salute the commitment of the Members of the National Assembly who today unanimously adopted the motion recognizing that artists have been hard hit by the pandemic and that their exceptional work needs to be better supervised by an in-depth reform of the Status of the Artist Acts. [translated, Press Release in french]

APASQ, AQAD, ARRQ, FNCC-CSN, GMMQ, SARTEC, TRACE, UDA and UNEQ welcome Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's budget and the strong signal sent by the Canadian government for the recovery of the cultural sector. This budget not only underscores the importance of culture as a pole of economic recovery and tourism in the country, but also how crucial it is to continue to support artists and creators in this time of health crisis. [translated]

Le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, appuyé par le ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, met à leur disposition un fonds pour défrayer les honoraires de consultation auprès d’intervenants psychosociaux tels des psychologues, travailleurs sociaux, médiateurs, planificateurs financiers, conseillers juridiques, etc. La liste détaillée des intervenants se trouve ci-dessous. Un maximum de 10 rencontres est prévu pour chaque personne. 

Montréal, le 12 avril 2021 — Grâce au soutien financier du gouvernement du Québec, la Fondation des artistes, en collaboration avec la Guilde des musiciens et des musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ) et l’Union des artistes (UDA), se réjouit d’annoncer le renouvellement du Fonds d’urgence pour les artistes et travailleurs culturels du milieu des arts vivants. Doté de 3 M$, le fonds vise à offrir un soutien financier direct aux artistes et travailleurs culturels.

In order to establish this select committee, we will need approximately 5 musicians from the performing arts community. A fee will be paid for each participation in the negotiations and preparations. Would you be interested in participating?

The 2021 tax-filing season has begun and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) understands that many Canadians are facing challenging situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including members of organizations like yourselves, and we’re here to help

The GMMQ is very pleased with the March 16th announcement: the reopening of the venues is great news for our community. In the last few weeks, we have been asking the government for this, arguing that the sanitary measures for the venues had been proven to work. Even if the recovery will be long, the reopening of the venues is a start, and a hope for many musicians ! The rollback of the curfew will also help the recovery.

MONTREAL, March 15, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The APASQ, AQAD, ARRQ, FNCC-CSN, GMMQ, TRACE, UDA and UNEQ today unveiled a disturbing report on the state of the cultural sector. With more than 30,000 people having lost their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic in this sector, psychological distress added to financial insecurity, and a significant number of people thinking of abandoning their careers, there is an urgent need to act.

Montreal, February 26, 2021 - The Quebec Musicians' Guild (GMMQ) is updating and improving the results of its survey on the financial and professional situation of musicians, renewed this February (conducted for the first time last October). As a result, despite all the assistance programs put in place in recent months (federal and provincial), the situation of professional musicians in Quebec has not yet improved. For 2021, the majority of respondents estimate that their income will be lower than in 2020.

(Press Release in french).

MONTREAL, Feb. 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The performing arts community has taken note of the notices made public regarding the reopening of performance halls, theaters and other venues. Our sector remains the most affected by the pandemic, having been closed to the public for almost a year and we have learned through the media that the opening of venues has been recommended by Public Health since November. The longer the sector waits for it to reopen, the more difficult it will be to overcome.

(Press Release in French)

IMPORTANT: Please note that the Musicians' Pension Fund of Canada must have received contributions for the year 2020 before March 1, 2021.
To allow us to meet this deadline, we would appreciate receiving your service contracts for the year 2020 by February 15, 2021.

Congratulations to all our members nominated for the 24th Gala Opus of the CQM - Conseil québécois de la musique !

In response to the recent increase in spread associated with the continuing Coronavirus pandemic, the Federation wishes to remind all local officers and AFM members of the availability of limited emergency financial aid through the AFM's Lester Petrillo Memorial Fund for Musicians diagnosed with Coronavirus.

Pay now online

Congratulations to all our members who have received ADISQ nominations for the Industry Gala, Premier Gala and ADISQ Gala!

See all our nominated members here.

We are glad to send you the new edition of Entracte, fall 2020. This edition will be specially dedicated to the COVID-19 crisis which is shaking up our world.

Today Local 406 announced that multiple students from Montreal whose parents are professional musicians here have received a Music Family Scholarship from the recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF).

For more than three months now, all shows and concerts in Quebec have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Here is a look at the action the GMMQ has taken since the beginning of the crisis (March 13, the date that gatherings of more than 250 people were banned) to support musicians at this difficult time and advocate to the government on their behalf. (in french)

The Fédération des harmonies et des orchestres symphoniques du Québec (FHOSQ), Fédération des associations de musiciens éducateurs du Québec (FAMEQ), Alliance chorale du Québec, Conseil Québécois de la musique (CQM), Centre des musiciens du monde, Arts en mouvements, Jeunesses musicales Canada and Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ) have joined forces to deliver a joint message to Quebec’s Minister of Education: music classes in elementary and secondary schools must resume in the 2020-2021 school year.
Discover 3 actions to support the cause !

« Excellent news, from August 3, the maximum number of people allowed for indoor and outdoor events will drop from 50 to 250 people, while respecting hygiene and physical distancing instructions. This is a big step forward for live music and the performing arts, the long-awaited first step in a gradual resumption of activities in the performing arts. »

On May 7, during a virtual parliamentary debate with members of the opposition at the height of the crisis that had paralyzed cultural life for the last two months, the Minister of Culture stated that “we must reinvent Culture.” While it is difficult to know exactly what the minister was thinking, many artists reacted badly to this declaration, which strongly implied that the future of culture primarily lay in the virtual sphere. Subsequent announcements of significant investments in digital cultural projects appeared to confirm their impression. But this is not a reinvention; rather, it is a temporary fix while we await the return of live audiences. Culture does not need to be told to reinvent itself – it has done so continuously since the time of the ancient Greeks.

At Dr. Arruda’s press briefing on June 25, the gradual reopening of nearly all sectors of the economy was announced. One of the only sectors that has still not been permitted to resume is festivals and large gatherings, with the public health authorities being very clear on this point. Unfortunately, there was no mention of performance venues or of increasing their capacity to 250 spectators.

Although the CERB has been extended for eight additional weeks (as announced on June 16), many artists, freelance journalists and cultural, arts and event workers will still be unable to return to work at the end of this period. It is crucial to start looking ahead to the fall.

Read here the document (in french).

This survey is for professional musicians. Its purpose is to assess the proportion of professional musicians who are not eligible for CERB. We would also like to know if some have been able to maintain part of their activity by adapting it. Thank you for your answers and your sharing.

The GMMQ welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement offering a benefit of $2,000 per month for four months to all workers who have lost their source of income due to the COVID-19 crisis. This measure applies to self-employed individuals, a common work status for Quebec musicians. Since the start of the crisis, the GMMQ estimates that its members have lost $750,000. “The federal government’s new assistance program will not, however, cover our members’ financial losses incurred since March 12. We are still awaiting the concrete measures promised by the Ministère de la Culture that would compensate our artists for cancelled concerts and shows,” said Luc Fortin, GMMQ president.

SaveLiveArts.ca is an initiative started by Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA), Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM / AFM), Toronto Musicians' Association (TMA) and the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  We understand that without government intervention Covid-19 will continue to have a detrimental effect on the social and economic well being of the people and companies in the live arts.  We welcome signatures and partnership from any Canadian company or individual working in the live arts.  For more information or to make suggestions for the initiative you can email savelivearts@tma149.ca

Dear GMMQ members,

In these extraordinary circumstances in which we find ourselves, we are all being bombarded with information from every direction. We ask that you always verify the source of the media content you consult

Dear GMMQ members,

Many of you have sent us documents related to performances that have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis, and we are grateful.

Dear GMMQ members,
 

The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly and hourly.
We fully understand and share your concerns. The current situation is unprecedented. Please know that the cultural community is working together to find the best possible solutions quickly. We are actively working with UDA, AQTIS, AQAD, APASQ, the Ministère de la Culture, SODEC, the CALQ and producers’ associations.

Chers collègues musiciens et musiciennes,

J’ai participé à un échange très satisfaisant cet après-midi avec des membres du cabinet de la ministre de la Culture Nathalie Roy, la ministre elle-même, et des représentants des grandes associations d’artistes, de producteurs, de diffuseurs, du CALQ et de la SODEC.

The GGMQ anticipates the issue of vacation payments for members who have had contracts with ADISQ (live and recording agreement). The process will starts now.

Dear members,
Yesterday at noon, Québec Premier François Legault announced a number of measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). One of these measures concerns indoor gatherings of more than 250 people. The premier requested that organizers cancel these events, as well as any other events that are not considered essential.

Please note that the GMMQ is closely monitoring the development of the COVID-19 epidemic. We are aware of your questions and concerns, and are studying the situation seriously in order to provide you with the best possible answers. Stay tuned, an official communication will follow. Thank you for your patience