Federal government shaping strategy to promote Canadian content worldwide as digital takes over

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The federal government wants to bring Canadian content around the world, but they likely can’t do it alone. Today, the Department of Canadian Heritage has launched the first phase of consultations on Canadian content in a digital world.

The first phase of these consultations involves answering an online questionnaire regarding the role of local content in Canadian life. The survey gives respondents the option to answer as either a consumer or a creator of Canadian media.

According to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, the future of Canada’s growth and prosperity lies in the intersection of technology and innovation.

In a statement sent to MobileSyrup, the Minister went on to say that “Canadian consumers and content creators are at the core of the cultural sector, and this is why we strongly believe in the importance of consulting Canadians across the country to help us shape this process.”

The Department of Canadian Heritage went on to outline several reasons why it’s in the government’s best interest to promote Canadian content to new markets. The first of these is that the line between content creators and content consumers has blurred substantially.

Furthermore, not only has an interconnected world made it easier for local content to get buried, but an unwavering access to free content has changed Canadians’ expectations for local availability.

According to the statement from Minister Joly, the government is hoping to use the questionnaire to examine the current policy toolkit for navigating the digital world and provide a foundation for the next phase of consultations, to begin in summer 2016.

She goes on to say that the cultural sector of the Canadian economy is crucial to expanding Canada’s role internationally.

“This project is driven by our belief that the time is ripe to review the role of the federal government in helping Canada’s creative sector navigate this transformation and chart a course to ensure that we are poised to position ourselves as global leaders.”

Those who wish to respond can take the quiz here.

This article was originally published on MobileSyrup

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