MEXICO CITY, Nov. 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada and Mexico enjoy a longstanding friendship and strong bilateral relationship. During her visit to Mexico City, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, met with government representatives, business leaders and representatives of Canadian and Mexican creative industries to champion Canada's creative exports, strengthen cultural ties and highlight women's leadership at home and abroad.
Mexico is the top exporter of creative goods in Latin America and represents an important market for Canada's creative industries. Minister Joly took part in a bilateral meeting with her Mexican counterpart, Secretary of Culture María Cristina García Cepeda, to discuss areas for cooperation, including in the context of Canada's first Creative Export Strategy. Canada and Mexico also agreed to establish a joint agenda on Creativity and Culture under the Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) as a means to facilitate and further strengthen exchanges between the two countries, and bolster culture's contribution to economic and social prosperity.
Minister Joly also announced the following initiatives:
CanadaNOW – This touring film festival—presented by Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, in partnership with the Cineteca Nacional—will tour more than 20 Mexican cities, presenting seven new pieces of Canadian filmmaking. The project began with showings as part of the Guanajuato International Film Festival in Summer 2017, where Canada was the Spotlight Country of Honour. The inaugural CanadaNOW touring series speaks to Canada's diversity, with celebrated works from talented women and Indigenous filmmakers, as well as emerging talent and accomplished veteran directors from across the country.
SNOW Exhibit – In partnership with the National Institute for Anthropology and History (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) and the Canadian Museum of History, the Embassy of Canada is bringing SNOW to Mexico, an exhibit that reveals how snow has shaped the Canadian identity. The exhibit will begin its tour in Mexico City at the Museo Nacional de las Culturas in November 2017 and then travel to the Museo Maya de Cancún in Cancún, Quintana Roo, in March 2018.
Canada Council for the Arts – The Secretariat of Culture of the United Mexican States and the Canada Council for the Arts have signed a letter of intent establishing a relationship based on reciprocity, collaboration and mutual benefit that will increase artistic exchange between Canada and Mexico, and raise the profile of the arts in both countries.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Installation – The Embassy of Canada in Mexico will support the creation of a permanent and unique installation by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer in the Museo de Memoria y Tolerancia. The installation, which will occupy one full room, will be a reflection on crimes against humanity and their frequency worldwide. The support from the Government of Canada also represents a signature initiative to commemorate Canada 150 in Mexico.
Building on the success of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Mexico in October, Minister Joly also took the opportunity to meet with female business leaders and entrepreneurs in her capacity as head of the Canadian trade delegation at the International Women's Forum for the Economy and Society. She joined other leaders from around the world in speaking to the important role that women continue to play in driving economic and social change in all aspects of society, including the creative sector.
Quotes
"The Government of Canada is helping Canada's creative industries succeed abroad, which we know creates jobs and prosperity in every region of Canada. By increasing its presence internationally, putting in place the expertise required to promote Canada's creative industries, and creating strong people-to-people bonds that are taking our relationships to the next level, we are setting the stage for Canadian creators and cultural entrepreneurs to take advantage of export opportunities."
—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Quick Facts
Canada and Mexico are among each other's largest two-way trading partners, and bilateral trade between the two countries—valued at over $40 billion in 2016—continues to grow annually.
In 2016, as part of the North American Leaders Summit in Ottawa, leaders signed the Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding Promoting Women's Entrepreneurship and the Growth of Women-Owned Enterprises in North America. As part of this commitment, the Women's Forum Mexico 2017 was anchored in a trilateral (Canada–Mexico–United States) women's trade mission involving more than 20 Canadian women from various sectors, including creative industries. Minister Joly led this delegation with events and programming to strengthen economic ties and collaboration across North America
Mexico is the top exporter of creative goods in Latin America, exporting $5.4 billion in 2015. It is considered the geographic and language hub for the Latin American market as a whole.
Global Affairs Canada's Business Women in International Trade program offers products and services to help Canadian women-owned businesses from various sectors, including creative industries, succeed in global markets.
Creative and media industries account for 7 percent of Mexico's gross domestic product, and the country is considered among the top 20 global players.
Canada and Mexico share a dynamic and prosperous relationship: as friends, as North American neighbours, and as strategic partners in the Americas and in the world. Over the years, our cooperation has expanded across a wide range of political, trade, social, environmental and security interests.
Associated Links
Business Women in International Trade
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
(media only), please contact: Simon Ross, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, 819-997-7788; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]
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