The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE), which brings together some 50 organizations representing more than 350,000 artists and 3,000 cultural businesses across the country, welcomes several measures in the federal budget tabled yesterday, while stressing the need for lasting structural action that strengthen the foundations of cultural policy, ensure sustainable funding for creative work and effectively protect our cultural sovereignty.
Long-awaited progress must now become reality
CDCE welcomes the commitment to amend the Copyright Act to establish an artist’s resale right in Canada. Sought for decades by the visual arts community, this measure would allow artists to share in the proceeds when their works are resold on the secondary market. Already announced in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2025, this commitment must now be swiftly translated into legislation.
CDCE also welcomes the permanent increase of $5 million per year to the Canada Book Fund, beginning in 2027–28. This support will help strengthen the publishing sector and expand the reach of Canadian works at home and abroad.
It also welcomes the announcement of substantial funding to host the 2028 Francophonie Summit and hopes that a significant share will be allocated to the cultural sector.
While CDCE welcomes the reaffirmation of the previously announced $600 million in support for the audio and audiovisual sectors, which is needed to address urgent needs, it regrets that uncertainty remains over how and when the funds will be distributed. The government must promptly clarify these details so that the funding can reach recipients.
CDCE further stresses that this public funding cannot serve as a lasting substitute for contributions from online streaming companies. It calls for full implementation of the Online Streaming Act so that foreign platforms contribute to funding Canadian creative work, just as Canadian broadcasters do. These contributions must provide the sector with predictable, ongoing revenue commensurate with these companies’ presence in our market.
Lasting structural action
Other reforms, at no cost to the government, would also improve remuneration for creators and rights holders. CDCE calls on the government to follow through on its Budget 2022 commitment to ensure fair remuneration for rights holders for the use of their works in the education sector. Modernizing the private copying regime to make it technologically neutral, for the benefit of music rights holders, also remains essential. The CDCE had hoped to see announcements to this effect in the budget.
The government must also establish a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence that upholds the principles of authorization, remuneration and transparency (ART). This framework must ensure respect for copyright and enshrine transparency obligations for AI companies in law, particularly regarding the works used to train their systems.
Protecting our freedom to shape cultural policy
CDCE reiterates the importance of protecting culture in trade agreements so that Canada retains the freedom to adopt cultural policies suited to its realities.
As part of the CUSMA review and other trade negotiations, CDCE calls on Canada to return to its longstanding position: including a comprehensive cultural exemption that applies to the entire agreement, with no clauses limiting its scope. This exemption must fully protect cultural policies, including those concerning digital platforms and artificial intelligence.
CDCE also calls for the cultural sector to be informed and consulted before any new free trade agreement is signed. These approaches are essential to preserving Canada’s cultural sovereignty and ensuring that its trade policy is consistent with its support for the Canadian economy, of which culture is an integral part.