In the aftermath of Canada’s Day, two major decisions highlighted the weakness of Canadian cultural sovereignty. The first relates to the withdrawal of the digital services of the main American web giants in the context of commercial negotiations with the United States government. The second is the position of the Government of Canada concerning a proposal which aimed to set up a binding international legal instrument for large digital platforms in order to strengthen the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity, adopted by UNESCO in 2005.
In this case, by the voice of the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Steven Guilbeault, Canada abstained last week in Paris, to vote in favor of such a binding legal instrument. Rather, he says he wants to “continue” to work on this instrument, while exploiting the current possibilities of the 2005 Convention. While the planet shouts in an urgent need to overcome the domination of majors and cultural standardization, the Canadian government confirms its wait -and -see attitude and seeks to save time again.
By way of consolation, the Minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec, Mathieu Lacombe, tells us that it is still a victory since Canada could have voted against. Thank you, Mr. Guilbeault…
Faced with such events, it would be appropriate to speak of cultural abdication of the federally, but also the word “abdicate” implies that one renounces something, a specific cultural identity, different from ambient multiculturalism. In the circumstances, in the absence of a distinct Canadian cultural identity and a political will to defend it, the positions of retreat and withdrawal of the federalness are therefore not too risky.
Canadian culture often blends into American cultural mosaics and gender confusion naturally follows. By thus procrastinating on cultural files, the Canadian State behaves as a 51e American state of America!
On the Quebec government side, depending on the powers at its disposal, it will be necessary to wait for the adoption of the future regulations on the discovery of cultural content aimed at highlighting French -speaking cultural content. This future digital regulations will result from the application of Bill 109 tabled last May at the National Assembly of Quebec.
Will this Quebec regulation in the digital field, a domain that the federally claims, will it see the day concretely and will it be implemented before the next provincial election in Quebec? By then, will the federally oppose the Quebec initiative, legally or otherwise, since in all logic he considers as premature such a binding instrument on a planetary scale?
This political positioning waltz between Canada and Quebec on such a vital issue for the future of Quebec culture is just as disconcerting as it is deplorable.
The urgency of acting is essential. You can just “wait” or “continue”. Quebec culture deserves better, you have to take care of it. To use Serge Fiori’s words: “We gave birth to someone, maybe we should listen to it”!
