September, 2022

Artists welcome news on the Artist’s Resale Right

Canadian visual artists are pleased that the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) is gaining momentum within the Federal Government. Recent news reports indicate that Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry are considering amending the Copyright Act to include the ARR.

According to an interview published in the Toronto Star, Laurie Bouchard, a spokeswoman for Champagne has said: “Our government is currently advancing work on potential amendments to the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators, and copyright holders. Resale rights for artists are indeed an important step toward improving economic conditions for artists in Canada.”

This long-awaited news follows a meeting last month between the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers responsible for Culture and Heritage, in which “the Ministers agreed that Canada should have a resale right for visual artists and that it is an important step toward improving the economic conditions of Canadian artists, by enabling them to financially benefit from their growing reputations and secondary sales as their careers progress.”

CARFAC and RAAV have been advocating for an ARR for many years. The ARR is a royalty that enables artists to share in the wealth they create. It is particularly beneficial for Indigenous and Senior Artists, aligns Canada with many of our international trade partners, and it is one of many ways the Federal government can help visual artists recover from the Pandemic and prosper for years to come. Here is a summary of our proposal.

“We’ve heard that the government will conduct consultations in the fall, and this news that the ARR will be included is very welcome indeed. We look forward to participating in this discussion, and we hope that legislation will be passed very soon,” said CARFAC National President Paddy Lamb.

Details about our campaign for an Artist’s Resale Right is available on our website.

For more information contact:
April Britski, CARFAC National Executive Director

Write to your Member of Parliament about ARR

CARFAC and RAAV have been busy meeting with the Federal Government about the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR), and momentum is growing. Now is the time to write to your MP, asking for their support for ARR in a review of the Copyright Act, which is expected to begin this Fall.

The ARR would enable artists to receive a royalty payment each time your work is sold in the secondary market through an auction house or commercial gallery. The ARR matters, because art often grows in value over time, and artists currently have no legal right to receive income from this growth. If Canada had an ARR, artists would benefit from sales at home and abroad, as it is already law in over 90 countries worldwide. Here is a summary of our ARR proposal.

Our advocacy work on this issue has led to a commitment from the Liberals to amend the Copyright Act to include an Artist’s Resale Right, and last fall it was listed as a priority in the Mandate Letters of Minister Rodriguez and Minister Champagne.

There is still so much to do, and your support is crucial. We know that direct interactions with constituents can go a long way. Please use this opportunity to connect with your Member of Parliament. 

Not sure how to connect with your MP? We’ve drafted a template letter covering key points on why ARR is important to all artists in Canada, especially those who are Indigenous or seniors.