CARFAC: Artist’s Resale Right

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