Promoting Canadian Voices and Increasing Cultural Diversity on Global Technology Platforms

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada and the United States enjoy one of the closest relationships between any two countries in the world. This enduring partnership is built on our history, our culture, our values and our economy. Together, we benefit from robust trade, investment ties and integrated economies that support millions of jobs in both countries. Nearly 1.2 million jobs in California alone depend on Canada–U.S. trade and investment, and the total value of goods traded between our country and the State of California represents US$44.0 billion.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, wrapped up the San Francisco portion of a working trip in California yesterday. Minister Joly met with executives from Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter; she exchanged views on the opportunities and challenges faced by creative technology companies in today's innovation economy, as well as the importance of strengthening working and policy relationships. She reiterated how governments nd global platforms can work together to support cultural diversity and use culture as a catalyst for innovation to create jobs for Canadians and grow the middle class.

Minister Joly also took part in a Canadians in Tech round table with C100, a non-profit, member-driven association of Canadian business leaders dedicated to giving back to the Canadian innovation community. They discussed how Canadian companies can develop commercially viable and globally competitive content and services, and how to leverage local content on global platforms to help Canadians succeed in the digital era.

Minister Joly also held meetings with technology executives and senior entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley to discuss Canadian efforts and actions to promote diversity and inclusion in the online community to guide future policy direction.

Quote

"The Government of Canada recognizes that creativity and innovation require investment, sustained effort and partnerships. We understand the importance of promoting Canadians' perspectives and increasing cultural diversity in a digital era to benefit economic growth for Canadians in the middle class, as well as those who are working hard to join it. Our goal is to enable and support Canadian creators of digital content to ?compete on the international stage, conquer new markets, and contribute directly to Canada's overall economic and social prosperity."

—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

Overall, the cultural sector directly contributes 3 percent to our gross domestic product—$54.6 billion in economic activity—and accounts for more than 630,000 jobs, or 3.5 percent of all jobs in Canada.

As announced in Budget 2016, Canada is investing a historic $1.9 billion in the arts and culture sector. This represents Canada's biggest investment in culture in 30 years, and the largest amount of all G7 countries.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

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