Buskers slam new French-language requirement in Quebec City tourist hub

CBC

10 hours ago

It's been nine years since Bosko Baker was approved to be a street musician in Quebec City and started playing across central areas and tourist hubs.
In those early years jamming in the Petit Champlain sector and on Saint-Jean Street, he described the busking scene as a melting pot of artists. But since his debut, he says the city's rules have drastically changed.
Over the years, some popular busking areas have been removed from the city's approved list and regulations have limited the type of music that can be performed. Now, artists are required to sing exclusively in French or play instrumental in two areas.
"It kind of takes away from the cultural mixture that was so beautiful years ago in Quebec," said Baker, who is originally from the U.S. and used to perform in New Orleans.
"The more you limit, the more you're gonna have artists that are less inspired to put art out."
According to the city's regulation regarding public entertainers, modified in May, buskers must perform in French or play instrumental at two sites located in Petit Champlain.
In an emailed statement, a city spokesperson said these two sites are reserved for French music to "underline the 40th anniversary of Quebec's inclusion on the world heritage cities list."
It says the "reality of francophones in Quebec City" and in these sectors deserves to be highlighted even more this year because of the anniversary. The city said the new rule is part of a pilot project that will be reevaluated.
"It's a kind of backwards way to do it," said Baker. "I'd prefer to be able to sing in any language we want."
'Most regulated place in the world to play,' violinist says
Since 2017, Birdie Veilleux says the street music scene has steadily declined in Quebec City.
A violinist who grew up in Quebec City and plays with Baker, he says Quebec's capital has become "the most regulated place in the world to play."
He said the rules keep piling up, especially in the Petit Champlain area. Veilleux says some of these changes mean a loss in traffic and income for musicians.
Among the 53 remaining busking sites listed in the city, most include a limit on the number of hours a musician can perform per day as well as the number of people in a singular group.
In its email, the city said the number of sites available to musicians this year is the same as in 2024. It also said that the locations are the same as last year and that any differences are likely due to construction.
The city says rules are put in place to respect people and shopkeepers near the sites.
"It's essential to find ways of limiting nuisance and allowing artists to showcase their talent in suitable locations," read its statement.
Veilleux says he understands the point of strict rules, but at a certain point, it's overkill.
"It's like a hidden gem for buskers [in] Quebec. It can be really advantageous," said Veilleux. "But now I feel like it's so regulated that it kind of loses this appeal."
Despite the city's thorough audition process, he says the quality of buskers has declined and some career street musicians have called it quits.
"It's way harder nowadays," said Veilleux.
'We were never warned'
Over the years, Veilleux says there have been petitions and artists have brought their concerns to the city.
He says the newest rules in the Petit Champlain regarding French songs are particularly disappointing considering these two sites are in pedestrian-only areas.
"It was like the last remaining spot where you could get proper crowds and proper pay," he said. "We were never warned or consulted."
As a francophone Quebecer, he says art should not be restricted in this way.
"I am a separatist, but I still think this rule is ridiculous," he said, adding Quebec City's culture isn't only French.
"Indigenous people that want to sing in their language, they wouldn't even be able to perform," he added.
While all of this is happening, he notes that many restaurants on Saint-Jean Street blare American pop music on their terraces.
"And that's totally OK," said Veilleux. "It's crazy."