Minister Guilbeault defends Canada's cultural sovereignty in the digital age and calls for international cooperation during UNESCO conference

As UNESCO celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Government of Canada stresses the growing importance of protecting Canadian culture and identity in a digital environment

PARIS, June 20, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, made the following statement at the 10th session of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris from June 18 to 20, 2025:

"We are proud to mark the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Canada is deeply attached to the values of this Convention and is proud to be one of its founding countries. For 20 years, it has guided us in the development of innovative cultural policies that serve our artists and creative sectors.

The world has changed a great deal since 2005. We are facing new challenges everywhere, but also new opportunities as the digital shift—particularly the phenomenal rise of artificial intelligence—revolutionizes our societies, including our cultural and media sectors.

Canada will always strongly defend the right of states to protect their culture. Today we are making a call to strengthen international cooperation to ensure digital governance in accordance with the principles of the 2005 Convention. In the past few days, we have worked with a number of countries in order to move forward collectively in a context where the urgency to act is clear: the digital world must evolve in a way that fully supports our cultural diversity.

Canada has already taken several steps to ensure that our laws and cultural programs reflect digital reality. We have acted to promote local content, while requiring Web giants to contribute fairly and support our artists, creative professionals and media—because we firmly believe that strong cultural and media sectors are essential for a strong Canada.

In light of the discussions that took place during this conference, we hear the plea of Canadian civil society and of our partner of choice at UNESCO, the Government of Quebec. We are continuing our close collaboration with Quebec, civil society and several Parties to the Convention to implement the recommendations to protect cultural diversity in the digital environment that were presented to UNESCO in February 2025 by a group of international experts.

Canada supports the decisions made during the Conference today by the 160 signatory countries, which will support the ongoing implementation of the Convention in the digital age. The updating of digital operational guidelines and ongoing reflection on an additional protocol to the Convention will make it possible to take action now while considering other long-term solutions.

This is why I applaud the ongoing, important work of the countries signatory to the Convention, the Government of Quebec, other provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and civil society.

Canada will continue to be a strong voice at the international level to protect and promote creative and cultural industries, both at home and abroad, so that they can take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the digital shift."

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For more information (media only), please contact: Alisson Lévesque, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Language, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, [email protected]