Article 1 :  OBJECTIVES

This policy defines the terms and general principles applicable to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, hereinafter called the CALQ, with respect to the establishment of the bank of resource persons and the composition and role of the juries, advisory committees and selection committees, hereinafter called the committees, and the assessors hired and remunerated by the CALQ to manage its grant programs and agreements. 

It establishes the remuneration of the individuals hired by the CALQ.

This policy covers the programs under which the evaluation process calls for the establishment of an advisory committee in the case of an operating grant program or of a jury in the case of grant programs for professional artists. It also applies, with the requisite adaptations, to the establishment of a selection committee in the case of the management of an agreement and when assessors are hired. 

Article 2 :  DEFINITIONS

Jury : a jury is made up of peers hired to evaluate grant applications submitted by artists and writers under the CALQ’s programs.

Advisory committee : an advisory committee is made up of peers hired to evaluate operating grant applications submitted by arts organizations under the CALQ’s programs.

Selection committee : a selection committee is made up of individuals who may or may not be peers hired to evaluate grant applications submitted by artists or arts organizations submitted under an agreement signed by the CALQ and one or more partner organizations.

Assessor : an assessor is an individual hired to give an opinion of a performance, an event, an exhibition, a project or a travel grant application, among other things. 

Article 3 :  CONSTITUTION OF THE BANK OF RESOURCE PERSONS (BRP)

The CALQ manages a bank of resource persons.

3.1   Eligibility criteria governing the bank of resource persons 

Applicants who satisfy any of the following criteria may be admitted to the bank of resource persons:

• the applicant is an artist within the meaning of the Act respecting the professional status and conditions of engagement of performing, recording and film artists, i.e. someone who produces works on his own behalf and offers his services for remuneration as a creator or a performer in the fields covered by this Act;
• the applicant is an artist in the realm of the visual arts, the arts and crafts or literature, declares himself to be a professional artist, produces works on his own behalf, his works are exhibited, produced, published, presented in public or marketed by a promoter, he has been recognized by his peers as a professional artist by way of an honourable mention, an award, a prize, a scholarship, an appointment to an adjudication committee or an invitation to participate in a salon or by any other similar means, within the meaning of the Act respecting the professional status of artists in the visual arts, arts and crafts and literature, and their contracts with promoters;
• the applicant is a manager or a professional in one of the fields under the CALQ’s jurisdiction (visual arts, theatre, dance, music, popular song, multidisciplinary arts, media arts (cinema, video, new media), circus arts, literature, arts and crafts, architectural research, landscape architecture and urban planning).

Moreover, applicants must have at least five years of artistic practice or at least five years of relevant experience in the case of professionals or cultural managers.

The applicants are recognized for their areas of competence in one or more artistic disciplines. However, they may not be registered in the BRP in more than two disciplines. They must submit to the CALQ information on their candidacies.

Members of the CALQ’s staff and Board of Directors, the public service, staff working in other government agencies, public or private organizations that support the arts, artists’ agents or representatives, and journalists and individuals who work as critics on a regular basis are ineligible for inclusion in the bank of resource persons or, if they were included in the bank, are suspended until they once again satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the CALQ may include in the BRP specialists from fields other than those under its jurisdiction.

The CALQ may include in the BRP as partner members one or more individuals appointed jointly with the signatories to an agreement to sit on selection committees set up to manage agreements. These partner members must be familiar with the arts and literature in their territory and their competence must be recognized in the cultural community. Such individuals are registered in the BRP as partner members on the selection committee. The applications of partner members for the BRP are not submitted for the Board of Directors’ approval. 


3.2  Registration

Anyone interested in being included in the BRP must submit an application and satisfy the eligibility criteria established by the CALQ. The CALQ may accept or seek applicants in the arts and literature sector.

A call for applicants appears at all times on the CALQ’s Website and is published annually in the CALQ’s electronic newsletter, Nouvelles du CALQ. A call for applicants also appears in letters that announce the awarding of grants. 


3.3  Approval of applicants

Program managers in each discipline examine the proposed applicants in light of eligibility criteria in respect of the bank of resource persons and submit the applications to the director of the sector, who recommends to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer that he accept or reject the applications. The Chairman and CEO then recommends to the Board of Directors that it accept or reject the applications.

The applicants that the Board of Directors approve make up the BRP.

The CALQ informs applicants to the BRP whether or not they have been accepted. 


3.4  Updating

The BRP is updated as needed to add applicants or to suspend, withdraw or revoke applicants that the Board of Directors has already approved. 

An artistic discipline reserves the right to suspend an applicant if:

• the applicant no longer complies with one of the eligibility criteria governing admission to the BRP (temporary suspension);
• the applicant requests the withdrawal of his name from the BRP.

The Board of Directors reserves the right to reject or revoke an applicant if:

• the applicant fails to comply with the eligibility criteria governing admission to the bank of resource persons (rejection);
• the applicant has breached the Code of ethics and professional conduct governing jury and committee members and assessors (dismissal).

Article 4 :  COMPOSITION OF JURIES AND COMMITTEES

The individuals selected to serve as jury and committee members and assessors must be registered in the CALQ’s BRP.

If, under exceptional circumstances, the CALQ is unable to set up a jury, an advisory committee or a selection committee for want of applicants in the BRP, the CALQ’s senior management may approve the acceptance of a new applicant provided that the applicant satisfies the conditions stipulated in article 3.1.

The Chairman and CEO must inform the Board of Directors at its next meeting of the exceptions that he approves.

Juries or advisory committees made up of peers analyse applications for grants for professional artists and operating grants.

The juries that examine grant applications from professional artists are made up of individuals who have a good knowledge of the relevant artistic practice.

The members of the advisory committees that examine grant applications from artistic organizations are recognized for their competence in the field and have a good knowledge of the applicant organizations and their impact on the artistic milieu.

The members of selection committees that examine grant applications in respect of an agreement must come from the territory covered by the agreement and a percentage of them must be registered in the CALQ’s BRP as stipulated in the agreement.

The other members proposed by the regional partner(s) must have a good knowledge of the arts and literature on their territory and their competence must be recognized in the cultural community. These individuals are registered in the CALQ’s BRP for this selection, as partner members only.


4.1  Selection criteria

The composition of a jury, an advisory committee or a selection committee must comply with the following criteria :

a)  a jury, an advisory committee or a selection committee must comprise at least three members ;

b)  a member of an advisory committee may be hired to evaluate grant applications in more than one program during the same year ;

c)  an individual may not be asked to sit on a jury or a selection committee if he has submitted individually or with an artists’ group a grant application to the CALQ for the registration period in question ;

d)  an individual may not sit on a jury set up to evaluate applications submitted for CALQ grants more than once during a period of two consecutive fiscal years.

However, the individual may sit on a selection committee set up to manage agreements or be hired as an assessor during a period of two consecutive fiscal years ;

e)  a member of an advisory committee may not be asked to sit on a jury, and vice versa, in a period of two consecutive fiscal years.

However, the individual may sit on a selection committee set up to manage agreements or be hired as an assessor during a given fiscal year or the previous one ;

f) a member of an advisory committee may not be asked to sit on a committee for two consecutive fiscal years unless he is asked to ensure continuity from one year to the next in respect of evaluations for operating support, in which case he may sit on the same committee in two consecutive fiscal years ;

g)  a member of a selection committee may not be asked to sit on a committee more than once in two consecutive fiscal years.

However, the individual may sit on an advisory committee or a jury or be hired as an assessor during a given fiscal year or the previous one ;

h)  juries, advisory committees and selection committees must be made up of men and women chosen in a way that reflects the diversity of artistic practice, territorial representativeness and Québec’s ethnocultural diversity ;

i)  only one member engaged in another discipline or from outside Québec may sit on a jury or an advisory committee.


4.2  Duration of the mandates of jury, advisory committee and selection committee members and assessors

a)  the mandates of jury or selection committee members are not more than six months in duration ; 

b)  the mandates of advisory committee members ends March 31 at the latest of the fiscal year corresponding to the evaluation period for which they are hired ; 

c)  the mandates of assessors are variable and end on March 31 following their appointment. 


4.3  Code of ethics and professional conduct

Jury and committee members and assessors undertake to comply with the Code of ethics governing jury and committee members and assessors accompanying the letter of appointment.

Each jury or committee member or assessor must sign a confidentiality undertaking form as soon as he is hired. The completed, signed form must be submitted to the CALQ before the documentation is sent to the member or assessor.

Before the beginning of the jury or committee meeting or before the member’s or the assessor’s mandate begins, the member or the assessor must submit to the CALQ the completed, signed declaration of interest form.


4.4  Publication

The CALQ makes available to organizations and artists the names of jury, advisory committee and selection committee members three months after the announcement of the results.

The names of assessors hired to give an opinion of travel grant applications, performances, events, exhibitions or projects are never disclosed. 

The individuals hired must be notified in writing of this provision in the policy.

Article 5 :  ROLES OF CALQ EMPLOYEES, JURY, ADVISORY AND SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND ASSESSORS

5.1  Role of CALQ employees

The program manager responsible coordinates the jury, advisory committee or selection committee. Alone or with another program manager, the program manager:

• oversees the organization of secretarial services for the jury, advisory committee or selection committee but does not participate in the deliberations or have the right to vote;
• informs the members of his role and the role of other program managers and the program assistant, as the case may be;
• indicates the CALQ’s guidelines, objectives and the program’s evaluation criteria and the rules governing ethics and professional conduct;
• explains the evaluation process and evaluation methods;
• ensures compliance with the CALQ’s management methods.

5.2  Jury members

The role of the members of CALQ juries is to evaluate the merit of the applications submitted by individuals under the grant program in light of the eligibility criteria, the objectives and evaluation criteria specific to the different sections of the program, and to jointly decide on which projects warrant support. The jury members suggest by way of indication the amount to be granted for each project selected. They rank the recommended projects. Once the budgeted funds have been exhausted, the remaining recommended applicants are deemed to be alternates.

After the jury has deliberated, the management of the CALQ confirms its decisions.


5.3  Advisory committee members

Advisory committee members evaluate on their merit applications from organizations according to program evaluation criteria and take into account the CALQ’s guidelines. 

After the selection committee has deliberated, the partners and the management of the CALQ confirm its decisions. 


5.4  Selection committee members

The members of selection committees set up in respect of an agreement are called upon to analyse and evaluate the merit of applications submitted by artists, writers or organizations in light of the program’s evaluation criteria and to jointly decide on which projects warrant support. The selection takes into account both the comparative value of the projects and the funds available.

At the conclusion of their deliberations, members make recommendations to the Board of Directors, which adopts them.


5.5  Decision

In the absence of a consensus, the choices of juries and selection committees and the recommendations made by advisory committees follow the principle of the majority of votes.

5.6  Assessors

Assessors are mandated by the CALQ to give their opinion of performances, exhibitions, events, art works and specific projects or to evaluate travel grant applications.

Article 6 :  HIRING AND PAYMENT METHODS

6.1  Hiring

The hiring of jury, advisory committee and selection committee members and assessors must be covered by a letter of appointment to which is appended a copy of the Code of ethics and professional conduct governing jury and committee members and assessors, a confidentiality undertaking form and a declaration of interests form.


6.2  Payment of honoraria

Jury and committee members are paid fixed honoraria for preparation and participation in a jury or committee or the preparation of an opinion, approved by Order in Council 1225-95 of September 12, 1995 (see Appendix I of this policy).

The CALQ sets an amount in respect of the analysis of documents and this amount is indicated in the letter of appointment.

If jury or committee deliberates for four hours or less, the member of the jury or the advisory committee receives $25 per hour worked. Travel time exceeding two hours is remunerated. Meal times are excluded from the calculation of the hours worked.


6.3  Payment of living and travel expenses

Jury and committee members and assessors may claim the reimbursement of living and travel expenses up to the amount set under the policy governing the reimbursement of the honoraria, living and travel expenses of jury and committee members and assessors in effect at the CALQ, bearing in mind Directive 7-74 of the Conseil du trésor concerning the Règles sur les frais de déplacement des personnes engagées à honoraires.

To claim living and travel expenses and honoraria, jury and committee members and assessors must fill out the claim form of the CALQ for honoraria and living and travel expenses. Receipts must be submitted along with the form. The claim must be approved by the program manager concerned or the person designated by the manager and payment is made as soon as the mandate is completed.

If a jury or committee member or an assessor is unable to complete his mandate or if the CALQ withdraws or postpones the mandate in whole or in part, the member is paid proportionally for the time worked and the number of files processed.

Article 7 :  COMING INTO FORCE

This policy comes into force in respect of the formation of juries and committees established in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

APPENDIX I 
Honoraria of jury and committee members and assessors

Order in Council 1225-95 sets the honoraria of members according to a daily rate.

The honorarium for a work day including from four to seven hours is $200. For each additional hour worked, the member receives $25 per hour. 

Honoraria for work days including four hours or less: $25 per hour.

Honoraria per day devoted to reading files (flat rate): $100.

However, the CALQ has adopted an internal administrative policy governing reading time that stipulates the number of files that a member processes in one day, bearing in mind the discipline and in light of the daily rate mentioned earlier.