Email Minister St-Onge about the Artist’s Resale Right

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Hello Minister St-Onge,

As a member of the visual arts community, I want to congratulate you on your appointment as the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and I would like to ask you to support bringing the Artist’s Resale Right to Canada. As a fellow artist, you will no doubt understand the importance of the ARR as a royalty that enables artists to share in the wealth they create

The Artist’s Resale Right, currently under consideration by the Federal Government in an amended Copyright Act, would entitle visual artists to receive a 5% royalty payment each time their work is resold by an auctioneer or commercial gallery. This is important because it common for art to grow in value over time, as the reputation of the artist grows. For example, Inuit artist, Kenojuak Ashevak, first sold her famous artwork, Enchanted Owl in the 1960s for $24. It has been resold a few times, and in 2018 it was sold for $185,500. Ashevak has received no payment for these additional sales.

The Artist’s Resale Right aligns Canada with our trading partners. Once established here, artists would be able to benefit from reciprocal arrangements with over 90 other countries where the law exists. Canada’s European partners specifically requested that Canada adopt the ARR during negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, and we expect the UK and others to do the same.

While all Canadian visual artists have the potential to benefit from an ARR, Indigenous artists may have the most to gain, as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists are often among the most exploited in the secondary art market. In 2010, an economic impact study of Nunavut arts and crafts estimated that $52 million is spent each year on Inuit art from the territory. The ARR has had a tremendous impact on Indigenous artists in Australia, where they have had an ARR since 2010. As of September 2022, over $12 Million AUD has been paid to over 2,450 artists.

The ARR would provide greater financial security for senior artists. It is often taken for granted that artists thrive once they become established, but even award-winning senior artists struggle to earn a living from their art. However, because most artists are self-employed with variable income levels over their careers, it is difficult to save for retirement or access support from income supplements and benefits offered by the government.

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Support for the Artist’s Resale Right is building across all parties, and it is one of many ways you can help visual artists recover from the Pandemic. Best of all, it is an economic benefit for artists that doesn’t cost the government anything. In accordance with the Prime Minister’s Mandate Letters to Minister Rodriguez and Minister Champagne, I urge you to support the addition of the Artist’s Resale Right in the Copyright Act as soon as possible. For details about how the ARR would work, visit: carfac.ca

Thank you,

[Your Name]

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