Perspective on American Culture as Consumed Globally

Trouble's brewing up in the cultural realm in Quebec, and it's looking a lot like a replay of the farming situation. The political front-runners are promising to defend the supply management, but it's feared that a NAFTA renegotiation might force Canada to open up gaps in the agricultural and cultural protection systems.

America, ever aggressive on the agricultural front, is also likely to challenge the cultural exemptions. Essentially, they want a free and unlimited access to the Canadian market in culture and communications. If they succeed, the existing system of subsidies for artistic organizations and artist grants could remain, but at a cost—the national cultural protectionism might crumble on the digital battlefield of Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook.

Louise Beaudoin, a leading expert in cultural protection, expresses alarm at the deregulation demands being imposed on cultures. She warns of the destructive force of American imperialism that wants to overpower everything, with a desire for no rules and chaos that helps them dominate even more.

Beaudoin served as the minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec, as well as for International Relations. During this time, she was at the forefront of efforts that led to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of UNESCO in 2005. Despite resistance from the U.S. and Israel, Beaudoin believes Quebec's international action and participation in global instances should be strengthened to maintain cultural sovereignty.

Canada's cultural exception partially protects certain sectors of the free market by permitting reserved subsidies and discriminatory laws for foreign competition. Without these measures, competition with foreign powers, predominantly America, would intensify, leading to the Americanization of Quebec culture.

The battle for royalties is already being waged, as Canada is now requesting video platforms like Disney+ and Amazon Prime to contribute to the funding of national feature film production. Ottawa has also approved an Online Streaming Act in April 2023, allowing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to demand that companies offering web services contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support the national production system.

Despite this progress, U.S. industries are displeased, as the American culture dominates the global scene. Pressure to open markets dates back to the end of World War II, allowing U.S. films to dominate movie screens worldwide. The U.S. has voiced displeasure against foreign taxes on digital services and obligations to finance foreign productions, threatening retaliatory tariff measures against these regulations deemed discriminatory.

Quebec must insist on agreements that contain a broad cultural exemption adapted to the peculiarities of digital commerce and cultural content to enhance the discoverability of Quebec’s French-language cultural content. Without such measures, its cultural sovereignty depends on it. Louise Beaudoin, an eminent sovereignist militant, calls for unity and mobilization to protect Quebec culture from the expansionist threats of the United States.

Fun Facts:

In 2022, cultural product imports to Canada totaled nearly $32 billion, with nearly $21 billion coming from the U.S.
Canada exported $24.5 billion worth of cultural products and services, with $16.75 billion going to the U.S.
The five main subdomains of cultural imports are handicrafts, radio, multimedia, books, and films.

Louise Beaudoin, a former minister of Culture and Communications in Quebec and International Relations, voices concern about the potential deregulation of cultures, fearing the destrucive impact of American imperialism and the dominance of American culture.
Without cultural exceptions, the intensification of competition with foreign powers, particularly America, could result in the Americanization of Quebec culture, leading to the loss of cultural sovereignty.
To maintain cultural sovereignty, Quebec must insist on agreements containing a broad cultural exemption adapted to the peculiarities of digital commerce and cultural content.
In the battle for royalties and funding of national feature film production, pressure is mounting from U.S. industries, as the VOD platforms are being requested to contribute and the Canadian government passed the Online Streaming Act in April 2023.