Illustation : Atelier Mouette

For the third consecutive year, the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) and its members will be in Ottawa to advance the Canadian cultural sector’s priorities ahead of the 2026 budget. 

On August 22, the Government of Canada drew a clear line by walking away from the negotiating table with the United States. In his remarks, Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized: “We were not prepared to compromise on our sovereignty, the protection of the French language and our culture.” The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) welcomes this firm stance by the government.

This commitment to protecting culture and the French language in Canada’s international relations must go hand in hand with strong domestic policies and with preserving the means necessary to implement them.

For this reason, the CDCE welcomes several recommendations contained in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance report in preparation for the 2026 budget. These recommendations align with many of the requests put forward by the CDCE in its submission to the federal pre-budget consultations last May, thereby reinforcing the priorities advanced by the cultural sector. The recommendations presented in this document are taken from the Standing Committee on Finance report and are reproduced here as they appear in that report. We have also added one priority recommendation from the CDCE that does not appear in the report.

At a time when ministerial responsibilities relating to creators and cultural businesses are more fragmented than ever across several portfolios, coherent and coordinated government action is necessary to ensure the effective implementation of cultural measures.

The CDCE therefore calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney and all ministers concerned to act on these recommendations in preparing the 2026 budget:

• Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages;
• Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions;
• Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario;
• Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Internal Trade and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy;
• Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade; and
• François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue.