QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Internal Trade
Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
February 24, 2026
Welcome back to the Senate, minister.
With the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement officially coming up for review this July, how is your government measuring the impact and benefit that the cultural exception has had on the Canadian cultural industry since the agreement was signed in 2018?
Thank you for the question, Senator Cormier.
I spent much of yesterday morning with several of your friends who represent the cultural sector and cultural industries. My colleague, Minister Marc Miller, and I spent more than two hours with a group of representatives from across Canada specifically discussing the importance of maintaining the cultural exception and taking stock of the economic benefits it has generated for Canada.
When I travelled to Mexico with some businesses in the cultural industry, I saw how keen they were to have Mexican partners. One that comes to mind is Moment Factory, the Quebec company that created the Akadi Lumina experience at Pays de la Sagouine in Bouctouche, which you know well. That inspired me because they were with me in Mexico to develop business relationships with partners. That generated a lot of positive spinoffs for the cultural industry and its stakeholders here in Canada, including for linguistic minorities.
I was reassuring, just as my colleague was yesterday with the representatives, but I think people may not have fully understood the economic importance of these industries within the context of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. I did that in Mexico with Mr. Miller and our New Brunswick colleague, MP David Myles, but we’ll be doing more of it.
Thank you, minister. I’m pleased to hear you talk about recognizing the economic impact that the cultural exception has on our sector, particularly in film, television, publishing and music. In fact, a major feature film is currently being shot in our region. You might have heard about it.
You said you consulted the sector, but what were the main concerns raised about the future? What did you hear about the future of the cultural exception?
Senator, they wanted reassurance that we would not negotiate away or weaken the cultural exception. Everyone vigorously and immediately agreed that the French language must be protected, and this undoubtedly helped reassure them of the government’s commitment to continue in this direction. For all the reasons you mentioned, this has led to several pieces of good news and Canadian success stories that are being celebrated across the country. Obviously, they are concerned about recurring government funding. That is why we want to be the best partner we can be, by continuing to support them and encouraging our partners to do the same.
