Withdrawal of the CCF

It was the financial question which pushed the CCF to withdraw from the management of the festival in 1998. Between 1988 and 1996 the CCF obtained between $40,000 and $50,000 a year from the Canada-Communities Agreement of Canadian Heritage for the programming at the Fête fransaskoise. The CCF was already committed to organizing the festival at Bellegarde in 1998 when this budget was reduced to $15,000. When the CCF attempted a political coup by cancelling the festival, the community did not understand and sharp criticism came thick and fast. In an editorial, l'Eau vive accused the CCF of giving in to the problems and questioned its leadership in the cultural area. The CCF countered that they had done this out of a concern for saving the rest of their programming.

From this point on, the Fête fransaskoise went through an acute leadership crisis, with its future under threat. There were repeated efforts in the community to ensure the survival of the event, but in the process there were clashes and disagreements.