Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) is a national association for professional visual artists. On behalf of our members and all 21,000 visual artists from across Canada, we are writing to express our opposition to Canada’s new tariff on original artworks introduced on March 4, 2025, and plans to expand the list to include additional visual art forms and other cultural products.
The economic impact of a trade war with the United States is a concern for all residents of Canada. This threat is undoubtedly real for many artists who rely on sales in the U.S. market, as well as those who import substantial quantities of American goods to make art. According to the 2016 Census, 66% of visual artists are self-employed, and their median incomes are just over $20,000. When tariffs are imposed on either side of the border, the rising costs of producing and exporting art puts artists in an even more vulnerable position, creating a chilling effect on the art market they rely on.
On March 3rd, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued bulletin # 64297449, which stated that Canadian goods entering the United States would be subject to a 25% tariff, or 10% in the case of energy imports. Although the implementation date has been delayed to April 2nd, there is a notable exemption for Canadian products (9903.01.12) “that are informational materials, including but not limited to, publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds.” This exemption is consistent with the terms of CUSMA, which allows original fine art to be transported duty-free between Canada and the U.S.
The American exemption is good news for Canadian artists and commercial galleries. However, we fear they may revoke it, as several art forms imported from the United States to Canada are included in the list of items Canada introduced in a first wave of 25% retaliatory tariffs on March 4th. Paintings, drawings, pastels, collages, mosaics, and similar decorative plaques are included in the list, as detailed under Tariff Item 9701.91.10. An expanded list of artworks such as engravings, lithographs, and sculptures is included in a list for a second wave of tariffs, categorized under Tariff Items 9701 to 9703.
CARFAC challenges the inclusion of artworks on any tariff list, and especially on a Canadian list if the U.S. continues to adhere to the exemption for Canadian artworks. A unilateral Canadian tariff sets a dangerous precedent that puts Canadian creators and cultural industries at risk of facing retaliatory tariffs from the U.S. This would devastate the Canadian art market and may have profound long-term implications for our trade agreements. Canada has consistently committed to keeping culture off the bargaining table, allowing us to implement domestic cultural content quotas and other policies that help us preserve our cultural sovereignty. The culture sector may now be in a weakened bargaining position in future CUSMA negotiations and several other trade agreements currently underway.
While our primary concern is that a retaliatory American tariff on cultural goods may be on the horizon, it is not our only worry. A tariff on artworks imported from the U.S. may be of minimal concern to most Canadian visual artists, but it is not entirely inconsequential. Some Canadian artists work and/or reside in both countries, and they may bring art they produced in the U.S. to Canada for temporary exhibitions or to sell on consignment at a Canadian gallery. Some artists are represented by commercial galleries that also sell art by American artists, and their business may suffer if a significant portion of their inventory is now subject to tariffs. Furthermore, although the U.S. has not imposed a tariff on Canadian art, Canadian galleries already report that business is slower than usual, and artworks shipped to the U.S. are getting stuck at the border. By comparison, we hear our colleagues in other artistic disciplines are not facing the same challenges at the border, perhaps because a bilateral exemption for their goods remains.
In addition to tariffs on artworks imported from the U.S., Canada also issued a notice of intent to implement tariffs on art supplies such as paint and brushes, and other raw materials commonly used for art production. If this moves ahead as proposed, we know this will cause concern for artists who rely on materials from the U.S. The increased cost of these materials could significantly impact the production and sale of art, leading to higher prices for consumers and reduced sales for artists and galleries.
While we advocate for exemptions on imported art materials, we also understand the need to reciprocate if the United States imposes tariffs on similar products. We offer our enduring support to Canadian manufacturers and retailers of art materials. We encourage artists to make informed choices about their purchases and assert that there has never been a better time to shop locally. Some art supply stores are already promoting Canadian-made supplies on their websites and more will likely follow as this situation unfolds.
Canadian artists rely on a strong art market on both sides of the border. According to Statistics Canada, the value of Canada’s exported cultural goods and services was $24.5 billion in 2022. Of that total, $8.2 billion, or 33%, of those exports were visual and applied arts exported to the United States. The current situation presents opportunities for artists and galleries to expand sales opportunities in other countries, but moving 80% of your foreign market to another country overseas is no small task. The cost of shipping further abroad creates significant challenges in a business with very thin profit margins. Our sector would also need considerable support to shift marketing strategies elsewhere. If these tariffs remain in place, the long-term implications for the Canadian art community could be severe, potentially leading to reduced income for artists, fewer opportunities for art lovers to access and appreciate art, and a significant loss to our cultural heritage.
In the face of a prolonged hostile trade environment, the government may consider opportunities to directly support artists and commercial galleries to help them grow domestically. Possibilities could include a GST exemption for Canadian art, which could make art more affordable for consumers and stimulate domestic demand. Another possibility is investing in an interest-free loan program comparable to Own Art in the UK. Since 2004, arts councils in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland have provided public funding valued over £75 million in short-term loans to help art lovers buy contemporary art and craft. No such incentives exist in Canada, and we believe they would go a long way to encourage art purchases and support the growth of the domestic art market. In the meantime, we respectfully request that Canada remove tariffs on cross-border transport of art between Canada and the United States, in the interest of allowing free access and market growth between our two nations.