Ottawa, October 3, 2005
Today, I had the pleasure of co-chairing a roundtable with my counterparts, the Ministers responsible for culture Ms. Line Beauchamp from Quebec, the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur from Ontario, and the Honourable Eric Robinson from Manitoba, in which representatives from Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Alberta, and Nunavut as well as representatives of civil society and artists, creators, and cultural professionals from across the country took part. Together, we decided to give a single message. All of Canada is calling on UNESCO and the entire international community to adopt the draft Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the coming weeks.
Our discussions allowed us, as governments and professionals, to clearly establish how important this Convention is to the cultural community. It will help us ensure that cultural policies are recognized as fundamentally important to the social and economic development of the signatory countries. Today, the Ministers and representatives of civil society unanimously supported the draft text of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which resulted from the last meeting of governmental experts in June 2005.
We will work together to ensure that the delegates at the UNESCO General Conference, which opened today in Paris, adopt the Convention. Each of us has a role to play to ensure that our languages, our culture, and our identity -- as a diverse society, its Aboriginal heritage, and its boundless creativity -- is preserved and promoted for future generations. Adopting this Convention is the best way to ensure the future of our cultural diversity.
Information:
Jean-François Del Torchio
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Minister responsible for Status of Women
(819) 997-7788
Jean-Guy Beaupré
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-9314
