Equiflash Archive

In advance of setting the federal budget for 2022, the Government of Canada has invited recommendations to help meet their aim of building a “greener, more competitive, more innovative, more inclusive, and more resilient Canada.”

As part of our ongoing advocacy work, Equity, in conjunction with our Live Performance Coalition partners submitted a report that calls on the government to provide greater support for workers in the live performance arts, an industry that has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

The submission, signed by the Executive Directors of Equity, IATSE, Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, the Canadian Federation of Musicians, and the Associated Designers of Canada, recommends:

• Expanded eligibility for COVID-19 support, subsidy, and recovery programs;
• The creation of an engager insurance system that minimizes the risk in starting up productions;
• The implementation of a tax credit program to encourage the development of more work opportunities; and
• The reintroduction of a CERB/CRB-like benefit that can be specific to live performance workers, or ideally, the introduction of a Guaranteed Basic Income program.

For a complete copy of the Coalition’s 2022 Pre-Budget Consultation Submission, please click here.