Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla sees good news in a recently released Statistics Canada report on culture, despite the report’s evidence of a growing cultural trade deficit and continued reliance in Canadian film and television on imported product. In a September 9 media release, Frulla reacts to the bureau’s findings by stating: "…We can see the value of Canada’s cultural exports was close to $5 billion for the year 2002. The statistics clearly show growth in exports to the European Union and continued growth in exports to the United States. Of course, the Americans are still our main trading partner in the cultural field, but some diversification can be seen in our European markets. We should be pleased with this. It shows that there are potential markets for our cultural services outside the United States."

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