Cultural Instrument needs more acceptance in international trade spheres

The new international instrument on cultural diversity (NIICD) touted by the government at the Banff Television Festival will have to gain more credibility in global trade circles if it’s to be effective (CCR, Oct. 13/00), says a senior government official. Maureen Tsai, deputy director of the information and technology trade policy division at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, says the idea still hasn’t made it onto the radars of trade ministers around the world. Speaking in Toronto earlier this week at an Insight Information-sponsored conference session on Trade policy implications of convergence, mergers and vertical integration, she noted that Canada is working aggressively to raise awareness of the concept despite the absence of a clear decision on where such an instrument would be negotiated or housed. One reason the NIICD hasn’t been embraced globally is that other countries are not as susceptible to influence from the U.S. entertainment powerhouse as is Canada, which is vulnerable because of its geographic proximity and common language. That situation could change as new technologies, mergers and convergence bring down the boundaries separating the cultural territories of nations. According to Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps, the NIICD is aimed at ensuring world markets for cultural exports from Canada and elsewhere in a world increasingly subject to transnational trade agreements. The NIICD would see cultural goods treated separately from other commodities in international trade deals. Both Copps and International Trade minister Pierre Pettigrew pumped the need for a NIICD in Banff last week. "Establishing a new international instrument will require a sustained effort over the long term," Pettigrew said at a June 11 luncheon in Banff. "We are keeping all our options open on the most appropriate forum for the negotiation of this new instrument, and are building support for this strategy in a variety of forums, including the International Network on Cultural Policy, UNESCO, La Francophonie and the WTO (World Trade Organization), as well as in our bilateral relations." He added, "Our aim at this stage is to raise awareness of the value of cultural diversity, increase acceptance of the view that governments must be able to promote cultural diversity, and identify like-minded countries who might be partners in developing such an instrument." Copps’ work over the past two years with the International Network on Cultural Policy has helped raise awareness of the concept, at least in the cultural arena, according to Peter Grant, a partner with McCarthy Tétrault. "There has been an enormous sea change in the acceptance of this principle of cultural diversity internationally in the last two years," he said. "Two years ago, it wasn’t on the horizon. Now, it is part of the rhetoric of U.S. policy makers in trade deals. I have public documents issued by the Hollywood studios, who are no fans of content quotas and the rest, who acknowledge the validity of cultural diversity and the importance of building your bridges so that you work within policies that support that diversity." Grant adds, "They want to negotiate. They don’t want to attack. And the notion of cultural diversity is a kind of galvanizing force that we hope over time will be able to lead to an instrument that will have some discipline on how trade rules affect our cultural policies." For now though, pending the development of NIICD, Canada will continue to maintain existing exemptions in international trade agreements.

Cultural Instrument needs more acceptance in international trade spheres

News | 06/21/2001 4:00 am EDT

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