Good news for visual artists in the 2025 Federal Budget

CARFAC and RAAV, the national associations representing visual artists in Canada, are thrilled to see the Artist’s Resale Right in the Federal Budget:

“Artists, particularly visual artists, are great contributors to Canada’s cultural scene and among the lowest income earners in Canada despite their significant cultural contributions. An Artist’s Resale Right provides the creators of original visual artwork with a royalty whenever their work is resold through an eligible sale, providing an additional income stream. 

In Budget 2025, the government announces its intent to amend the Copyright Act to create an Artist’s Resale Right in Canada, ensuring Canadian visual artists benefit from future sales of their work.”

“This is very welcome news”, said April Britski, National Executive Director of CARFAC. “On behalf of Canadian artists, we thank the Canadian Government, and especially the Ministers of Canadian Identity and Culture, Industry, and Finance for their commitment in moving this forward. The ARR provides much deserved financial support and recognition for an artist’s lifetime of contributions to the arts.”  

The Artist’s Resale Right is a royalty that allows artists to share in the wealth they generate in the marketplace. It aligns Canada with over 90 countries around the world that already have ARR legislation. Many of those laws provide for visual artists to receive 5% when their work is resold in the secondary market through an intermediary such as an auction house or commercial gallery. 

The ARR helps artists benefit from the ongoing commercial success of their art. It will help many senior artists who have worked for years in the industry, and often face financial difficulties later in life. It is also a huge win for Indigenous artists, who have too often been exploited in the secondary art market. 

“The inclusion of the artist’s resale right in the federal budget is wonderful news for visual artists across Canada,” said Camille Cazin, Executive Director of the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec (RAAV). “We thank the government for this long-awaited measure, which recognizes the value of artists’ work and will meaningfully improve their living and working conditions.”

CARFAC and RAAV look forward to Parliament approving the Fall Budget in the days to come, and  look forward to seeing the details of how this much needed legislation will be implemented in Canada, and sharing that information with our community.