International Bilateral Relations
International Bilateral Relations
Bilateral Relations is one of the three operational units of the International
Relations and Policy Development (IRPD) Directorate of the Department of Canadian
Heritage. Bilateral Relations contributes to the advancement of Canada's
international cultural diversity agenda abroad, by developing and maintaining
strategic bilateral relationships.
Canada is engaged in bilateral cultural discussions with many countries. We
have extensive relationships and frequently meet with France, the United Kingdom,
and the United States. Our long and shared history and traditions with these
countries make them key strategic partners in the advancement of our international
cultural diversity agenda.
In addition to fostering these traditional relationships, bilateral relations
with countries from other regions of the world are equally important. The countries
are strategic partners owing to their influence, regionally and internationally,
and are active in their support or advocacy of our cultural diversity agenda.
Some of these countries include: Columbia, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, South
Korea and countries of the Caribbean.
Strong bilateral relations provide a solid foundation upon which cooperative
international partnerships may be built. These relationships are also essential
in achieving our objectives within multilateral fora and our overall multilateral
relations.
Audio-visual co-production agreements
Bilateral Relations is also responsible for leading negotiations and management
of the Government's bilateral audio-visual co-production agreements. These
treaties define the terms for collaboration between Canadian producers and their
counterparts in another country on audio-visual works. Canada has concluded
official audio-visual co-production agreements with fifty-three countries over
the past twenty-five years.
Official co-production agreements enable Canadian and foreign producers to
pool their creative, artistic, technical, and financial resources in order to
co-produce quality culturally-significant films and television programs which
are granted domestic status in their respective countries. These agreements
provide producers increased access to sources of funding and to foreign markets,
therefore reducing the risks associated with the increasingly high costs of
audio-visual productions.
These bilateral agreements also help strengthen the audio-visual industries
in each country, reinforce international alliances in the cultural sector, and
promote circulation of Canadian culture abroad.
While we are responsible for negotiating and overseeing co-production agreements,
Telefilm Canada, a cultural
agency within the Canadian Heritage portfolio, administers the co-production
guidelines/application process as well as the bilateral
co-production agreements on behalf of the Canadian Government.
Sharing Expertise & Benefiting from the best the world has to offer
Finally, Bilateral Relations provides support to the international agenda of
Ministers and Secretaries of State, and the facilitation of incoming international
delegations. In both cases, the principal interest of Canadian Heritage is to
ensure the advancement of Canada's cultural policy objectives, specifically,
contributing to the international dialogue on cultural diversity.
Often, in the bilateral exchange we are sharing the Canadian model and experience
in areas such as cultural diversity, tangible and intangible heritage, multiculturalism,
official languages, and Canadian content in radio, film, and television. This
sharing of Canadian expertise is one of the department's key international
strategic objectives that contributes to Canada's foreign policy objectives
of capacity building, human development and human security.
|
