On June 25, 2025, the Government of Canada launched Consulting Canadians on a possible Canada–European Union Digital Trade Agreement, a public consultation on a possible agreement to which the CDCE contributed. In such processes, the CDCE’s main role is to emphasize the importance of excluding cultural goods and services from trade negotiations.

Its recommendations focus primarily on the need to include a broad cultural exemption clause in any digital trade agreement (DTA). Such a clause is vital to ensure that Canada retains the flexibility to adopt measures and policies that protect and promote the diversity of its cultural expressions. Without it, commitments made under a DTA could restrict the country’s ability to support its creators and cultural industries in the digital environment. In a market largely dominated by major platforms and foreign cultural products, Canadian cultural expressions risk being pushed to the sidelines.

This is why the CDCE argues that cultural exemptions must be written explicitly and firmly into Canada’s trade agreements. The organization also recalls the clear commitment made by the Prime Minister in The Globe and Mail on April 1, 2025, regarding trade negotiations with the United States: “The French language and Canadian culture, including Quebec culture, and supply management will never be on the table”.

Read the CDCE’s submission