AQTIS 514 IATSE CONGRATULATES PASCAL BÉRUBÉ ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS MINISTER OF CULTURE

Montreal, October 21, 2026 – AQTIS 514 IATSE, which represents film and television technicians working behind the camera, congratulates Pascal Bérubé on his appointment as Minister of Culture, Heritage, Communications and the French Language and Minister Responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region in Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's government. As the audiovisual industry faces significant economic challenges and growing international competition, the union hopes to continue its dialogue with the Parti Québécois, particularly with the new minister, to support production, protect jobs and strengthen Quebec's position on the international stage.

Last September, the union submitted a brief to the Ministry of Finance entitled Culture: A Driver of Economic Prosperity, outlining five recommendations to ensure the long-term viability of Quebec's cultural and audiovisual sectors. Among its proposals, AQTIS 514 IATSE recommends permanently allocating 2% of government spending to culture, maintaining competitive tax credits to attract foreign productions and diversifying funding sources by drawing on international models.

“Culture is a powerful economic driver for Quebec, and the audiovisual industry plays a major role in it. We hope Minister Bérubé will build on the work already undertaken to address the challenges facing our industry and the concerns of the thousands of people who work in it. Viable solutions have been proposed. Now is the time to take action to ensure that Quebec remains a place that can attract foreign productions while sustaining local production,” says Bernard Larivière, President of AQTIS 514 IATSE.

We hope the issues raised and recommendations put forward in our brief will resonate with the new minister. We also reaffirm our commitment to working with other industry stakeholders to help shape the future of Quebec's audiovisual sector. Our participation in the Grand Chantier de l'audiovisuel, held today, reflects this commitment.