Canada’s federal government is doubling down on its efforts to bolster and promote the country’s creative industries.
According to a June 26th, 2018 media release, the Government of Canada plans on investing $125 million over the next five years, in order to implement a three-pillar ‘Canadian Export Strategy.’
The new strategy is part of the government’s Creative Canada plan.
In addition to promoting Canada’s creative industries, the goal is to establish partnership and relationships in various international markets.
“I made a commitment to support and strengthen our creative industries on the world stage, and our new Creative Export Strategy will do just that,” said Melanie Joly, minister of Canadian Heritage, in the same June 26th, 2018 media release.
“Our plan will promote Canada’s economic growth, create well-paying jobs and showcase Canadian talent throughout the world.”
Three-pillar approach
Canada’s new Creative Export Strategy (CES) has three main objectives.
The fund will first increase the amount of export funding for Canadian Heritage programs, “including the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Music Fund and the Canada Periodical Fund, and Telefilm Canada.”
Each of the aforementioned funds is designed to aid in the promotion of Canadian-authored works, including books, music and film.
The CES will also aid Canadians looking to promote their work abroad by providing them with the necessary information they need to understand the market forces at work abroad.
Canadians artists will be able to access resources in Canadian embassies and consulates in cities like New York, Paris, London, Shanghai, Mumbai and Mexico City.
Finally, the CES will contribute to the creation of Creative Export Canada (CEC), a $7 million per year program aimed at providing groups and organizations “with funding to make it easier for buyers and audiences abroad to discover Canadian content.”
“The program is for Canadian companies and organizations that are ready to export and work in a creative industry or in support of one,” reads an excerpt from the same June 26th media release.
Canadian publishers, musicians, filmmakers, video game developers and even augmented reality developers and designers are all expected to benefit from Canada’s latest creative strategy.
The CES was developed in collaboration with the Department of International Trade, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“This new strategy will enable us to support more Canadian creative companies in expanding their reach into key export markets and enable more people — particularly small and medium-sized businesses — to share in the resulting benefits, including job creation,” said Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of international trade, in the same June 26th, 2018 media release.
Continuing significant investments in Canadian artists and content
The creation of the Creative Export Strategy and Creative Export Canada represent the latest steps taken by the Department of Canadian Heritage to support Canada’s creative industries.
Last year, Joly formally announced a partnership between the federal government and U.S.-based streaming giant Netflix to establish a first-of-its-kind Netflix production company outside of the U.S.
Dubbed ‘Netflix Canada,’ the production company represents an investment of approximately $500 million over the next five years year to fund original Canadian productions.
Netflix Canada is also expected to support Canadian French-language content on Netflix through a $25 million investment.
Source: Canadian Heritage
