The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE), representing more than 350,000 creators and artists, as well as over 3,000 cultural businesses across the country, took note today of the creation by Prime Minister Mark Carney of a new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations. The CDCE calls on the government to ensure that Canada’s professional creators and cultural enterprises are fully heard and taken into account in these discussions.

As the collective voice of Canada’s cultural sector, the CDCE primarily advocates for the exclusion of cultural goods and services from trade negotiations. In particular, it works to ensure that such negotiations do not undermine Canada’s cultural ecosystem or its ability to adopt cultural policies that reflect its priorities and values.

Yesterday, the CDCE sent a letter to Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy, as well as to several key members of the federal cabinet. In this letter, the CDCE reaffirmed its commitment to actively contributing to discussions surrounding the review of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and emphasized the importance of maintaining the cultural exemption, preserving the Online Streaming Act, and safeguarding Canada’s ability to legislate on artificial intelligence.

“In 2024, cultural industries generated $65 billion in value added and supported 1.1 million jobs across the country. They also play a key role in the vitality of the social fabric and in Canada’s international reach, underscoring the importance of preserving Canada’s cultural sovereignty for economic competitiveness and job support,” said Andrea Kokonis, Co-Chair of the CDCE and Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at SOCAN.

“The CDCE reiterates its readiness to work with the government to ensure that the interests of creators and cultural businesses are fully taken into account in the discussions ahead,” said Hélène Messier, Co-Chair of the CDCE and President and CEO of the AQPM.