On September 20, 2023, during their general assembly and the subsequent board of directors meeting, the members of the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) elected the members of the executive committee for the upcoming year.

The executive committee plays an essential role within the Coalition, assuming a decision-making role in the daily governance of the organization. Its members also act as representatives and spokespeople for the fifty associations grouped within the coalition, representing over 360,000 creators and professionals and 2,900 cultural sector companies.

Here is the composition of the CDCE executive committee for the coming year:

• Francophone Co-president, Hélène Messier, AQPM
• Anglophone Co-president, Bill Skolnik, Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC)
• Francophone Vice-President, Jérôme Payette, APEM
• Anglophone Vice-President, Roanie Levy, Access Copyright
• Treasurer, Carol Ann Pilon, APFC
• Secretary, Christian Laforce, Copibec

The leadership of the CDCE is completed by Marie-Julie Desrochers, the Coalition’s executive director since August 2022.

“The CDCE is a flagship organization in terms of protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions. Partly due to its ability to gather and mobilize the entire Canadian cultural sector, the Online Streaming Act was notably adopted last April. This is the culmination of many years of work on the part of the Coalition,” explains Hélène Messier, co-president of the Coalition.

“Developing a legislative framework around artificial intelligence, targeted modernization of the Copyright Act, implementing the new Broadcasting Act, and protecting culture in trade agreements will be CDCE’s top priorities for the coming year. The Coalition will work on these through its committees, academic partnerships, and events to continue to amplify the voice of artists and professionals who contribute to the richness of cultural expressions in Canada,” stated Bill Skolnik, co-president of the CDCE.

CDCE welcomes Christian Laforce, CEO of Copibec, who joins the executive committee as secretary. The organization warmly thanks the outgoing vice-president, Élisabeth Schlittler, general delegate to Canada of the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers (SACD) and the Civil Society of Multimedia Authors (SCAM), two collective management societies, who had been involved with CDCE for many years.

Finally, let’s note the arrival of three organizations to the board of directors: Copibec, The Front of Canadian Artists (CARFAC), and Les SMAQ, bringing the number of Coalition directors to 36.