Feds say the TPP "reflect and protects" Canadian cultural content

One of the areas of the Trans Pacific Partnership  (TPP) negotiations about which Magazines Canada and other agencies were lobbying was culture. You may remember the sometimes contentious issue of protecting Canadian cultural property and policies in the run up to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Ultimately, that legislation left the matter largely untouched, to the relief of publishers and media producers. But, understandably, cultural and literary magazines in particular and magazine publishers generally were warily watching the TPP talks.

Of course, how it all sorts out depends on the details when the full agreement is published and debated in Parliament but, according to a statement published on its website by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, nothing in the TPP prevents governments from regulating in the public interest, including measures to protect or promote culture. 

"Preserving the flexibility of all levels of government to adopt and maintain policies and programs that support the creation, production and development of Canadian content was a core objective for Canada in the TPP, and we have fully achieved this objective. The TPP reflects and protects Canada’s existing policies for supporting Canadian cultural content."