On September 26, 2025, the Government of Canada launched a public consultation to inform the development of its next national AI strategy, to which the CDCE contributed.

Over the past several years, the CDCE has been actively involved in national consultations on digital and AI-related issues. It participated in the joint consultations by the Departments of Industry and Canadian Heritage on the Copyright Act in the context of generative AI, as well as in the debates surrounding Bill C-27 – Part 3 on Artificial Intelligence and Data (AIDA), which has since died on the Order Paper. The CDCE also appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on October 6, 2025, as part of the study on the Impacts of Technological Advances in Artificial Intelligence on Creative Industries.

Through these processes, CDCE members have developed a set of consensus-based recommendations to ensure that the development of generative AI supports the diversity of cultural expressions. These recommendations are shared by all CDCE members, across linguistic markets and disciplines, representing the audiovisual, music, publishing, and visual arts sectors. They build on Canada’s existing legislative framework while taking into account major international developments, particularly in the United States and the European Union, identifying best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid. Finally, these recommendations reflect key international instruments and declarations that have emerged over the past two years to address the global challenges posed by generative AI.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, is disrupting the economic and social dynamics of culture. While it can serve as a promising tool when used ethically, voluntarily, and in a way that complements human creativity, its rapid and unregulated deployment is currently producing multiple harmful effects. By using copyrighted works, sound recordings, and performers’ performances without authorization or compensation, and by marketing AI-generated content without human intervention or proper disclosure, the companies developing generative AI systems undermine the cultural value chain and jeopardize the ability of a critical mass of creators and rights holders to earn a living from their art. Not only are jobs at risk, but so too is Canada’s ability to sustain a diverse, sovereign, and representative creative ecosystem that reflects the richness of its population.

Canada has long stood out as a leader in protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions. The recent participation of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, at Mondiacult 2025, as well as his commitment to developing technologies that support cultural diversity, creative industries, and human creativity, clearly demonstrates this leadership. Furthermore, the recognition of the ART principles by Minister Solomon strengthens the CDCE’s hope that the next chapter of Canadian AI governance will truly be written with respect for creators and rights holders, while fostering genuine diversity of cultural expressions.

Canada already has a robust legislative framework suited to the protection of copyright. The next step is to equip it with the necessary tools to foster the emergence of a genuine licensing market, one that promotes ethical, sustainable innovation that respects rightsholders, while remaining consistent with the principles of the diversity of cultural expressions. In this regard, CDEC members, including Canadian collective management organizations such as SOCAN, Access Copyright, Copibec, SOPROQ, and Artisti, have the expertise and know-how needed to help further build this market. By placing cultural sovereignty at the heart of its action, Canada reaffirms that it is one of the essential pillars of its democracy and collective identity.

View the report