New Export Funding Program for Canada

Mélanie Joly, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, today unveiled a plan to boost the country’s creative exports with a range of initiatives, including a new funding program.

The Canadian government is investing C$125 million over five years to implement its first Creative Export Strategy. This includes Creative Export Canada, a new C$7 million funding program to boost the country’s creative talent on the world stage. The fund intends to make it easier for buyers and audiences abroad to discover Canadian content.

The Creative Export Strategy will also increase the export funding for Telefilm Canada, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Music Fund and the Canada Periodical Fund. The initiative will also ramp up services and support for Canadian artists with additional resources at embassies and consulates in cities such as New York, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Berlin, Shanghai, Mumbai, Mexico City, Tokyo and Sydney. “By developing practical tools to support creative entrepreneurs, such as research, data gathering and statistics, the strategy will provide exporters with relevant information to help them better understand their targeted markets and make strategic decisions,” according to a press release.

“Our creative industries have a wealth of talent with incredible economic potential in international markets, Joly said. “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. Our plan will promote Canada’s economic growth, create well-paying jobs and showcase Canadian talent throughout the world.”

“Creative industries not only contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity, but also project the many Canadian voices and experiences that together demonstrate the shared strength and spirit that comes from our diversity,” added François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade. “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.”

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) welcomed the move. Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF, noted, “Canadian creators stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world. In an increasingly borderless and highly-competitive global marketplace, it is essential that we reinforce the mechanisms by which our screen-based creators can market Canada’s exceptional cultural products, develop business opportunities, and export their intellectual property, and by doing so, add billions to our economy. We applaud the government for recognizing the full potential of Canada’s creative sector and its considerable contributions to our economy. It is a sector that generates sustainable jobs and prosperity from coast to coast to coast.”