In January 2017, Canada, along with 70 other WTO Members, signed the "Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce" to initiate exploratory work towards possible future WTO negotiations on the trade-related aspects of e-commerce. Canada has been an active participant in all meetings and is a strong supporter of multilateral efforts to advance WTO work in the area of e-commerce. With respect to culture in this prospective agreement, Canada communicated a clear position to the effect that it would withhold the policy space to pursue its cultural objectives, in particular in the online environment which is now the prominent medium to experience cultural products.
The discussions on a new multilateral framework for e-commerce and digital trade are currently ongoing and are still at an early stage. Canada's negotiating position has been publically communicated as follows: On culture, Canada is seeking an overall outcome in these negotiations that preserves broad policy flexibility in the future to adopt policies and measures to support the creation and distribution of Canadian artistic expression and cultural content. Canada is of the view that countries have an inalienable right to define and implement cultural policies, as prescribed by the UNESCO convention
No financial resources have been allocated other than those required to ensure that cultural experts actively participate in these negotiations
| Name of partner | Type of entity |
|---|---|
The Canadian Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE)
| Civil Society Organization (CSO)
|