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Signature of a Canada-France Action Program and Declarations on Culture, Exchanges and Mobility
December 17, 1998
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today witnessed the signing of the Canada-France Action Program, on the occasion of the visit to Canada of French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The leaders also issued two declarations, concerning the importance of cultural diversity in a world economy, and on exchanges and mobility.
"This is an important step in strengthening our bilateral relations," said the Prime Minister. "These new efforts at cooperation speak to the desire of our two countries to enhance our partnership in a host of areas and to forge ahead as we tackle the future together."
The Canada-France Action Program was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and the French Minister responsible for cooperation and La Francophonie, Charles Josselin. The Program aims to reinforce our joint undertakings, both bilaterally–in such areas as information technologies and telecommunications, culture and scientific/technical relations–and multilaterally, in such fields as transatlantic relations and La Francophonie.
The Canada-France Joint Declaration on the importance of cultural diversity in a world economy, seeks to explore new approaches aimed at further promoting cultural diversity in a changing world.
The Declaration on exchanges and mobility of persons, recognizes the quality of the reciprocal exchanges between Canada and France and underscores the need to strengthen our cooperation in this area.
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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
BACKGROUNDER
Canada-France Action Program
The Action Program is a follow-up to the Declaration of Enhanced Partnership signed by France and Canada during Prime Minister Chrétien's visit to Paris in January 1997. The Program will enable the two countries to intensify their bilateral cooperation, coordinate their respective international activities on priority issues and explore new avenues of cooperation.
The Action Program takes into account all existing links between France and Canada in a host of bilateral and multilateral areas, and proposes specific undertakings aimed at achieving 10 priority objectives. It calls for regular contacts between the two governments to ensure its implementation. Also built into the Program is the opportunity for inter-parliamentary associations to make recommendations on the actions undertaken.
Canada-France Joint Declaration on the importance of cultural diversity in a world economy
The declaration aims to reaffirm that Canada and France see eye-to-eye on the major international debates concerning culture and to illustrate the importance of their partnership on the international political scene. In this regard, the declaration supports existing international initiatives which recognize this fundamental principle.
Both governments agree to promote–through all existing mechanisms at their disposal–cultural and linguistic plurality and ensure that cultural goods and services are fully recognized and treated as not just any merchandise. To do so, they will apply this principle within the framework of their bilateral relations. They will cooperate closely with international multilateral organizations, to ensure that questions dealing with cultural policy and diversity receive the attention and the importance they deserve in relation to economic and trade issues. They will support the objectives of the international network of cultural ministers (i.e. to promote cultural diversity by encouraging all of its members to recognize the importance of cultural diversity in a world economy and to contribute to the development of cultural policy at the international level.)
Declaration on exchanges and mobility of persons
The Declaration deals with the scope of the exchanges between the two countries and the very wide variety of stakeholders and sectors involved. It recognizes the need to expand the cooperation between France and Canada in all areas and notes that one way to help increase these exchanges would be to adjust the procedures currently in place to bring them more in line with the spirit of the 1997 Declaration of Enhanced Partnership.
The Declaration also provides for the creation of a Canada-France working group, composed of representatives of the departments responsible for the movement of persons. The group will take stock of the various programs and procedures in place and will propose to the two governments, before the end of 1999, measures aimed at facilitating or increasing any exchanges of persons between the two countries.
In 1998, in the youth exchange sector alone, some 5,000 young Canadians took part in exchange programs between our two countries.
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CANADA-FRANCE JOINT COMMUNIQUE
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY
IN A WORLD ECONOMY
During the discussions they held today in Ottawa, the Prime Minister of the French Republic and the Prime Minister of Canada were pleased to note the strong similarities of views that exist between their governments on the topic of cultural diversity.
Today's proliferation of communications networks and methods affords an outstanding opportunity for the international dissemination of creative works. The contribution made to the entire world by the liberalization of trade and investment should also be noted. However, in the context of rapid technological, economic and social change, it is all the more necessary to continue to preserve and promote a multiplicity of cultures and languages and to ensure the principle that cultural goods and services are not just another commodity, as stipulated in the UNESCO action plan of the Stockholm Conference.
Prime Ministers Jospin and Chrétien declare their determination to implement this principle in bilateral Canada-France relations and in the various international bodies in which France and Canada participate. In particular, they express their desire:
to invite their partners from around the world to recognize the importance of culture in the context of the globalization of trade and the proliferation of communications' networks and methods;
to work in co-operation with the members of UNESCO and the Francophonie to promote the expression of cultural diversity in a global context;
to contribute to the development of economic structures and of an information society that are respectful of the rights of creators and citizens, that favour job creation, promote the dissemination of knowledge - including knowledge that benefits the least privileged members of society - and that are conducive to the expression of cultural diversity;
to consult one another regularly and unite their efforts within international organizations - notably the World Trade Organization (WTO) - to promote the importance of cultural diversity and to preserve the capacity of states and governments - particularly in view of upcoming multilateral commitments - to define and implement policies to reinforce their shared concerns.
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