The biggest challenge facing Canada\u2019s cultural industry is not the quality of its creative output, but finding better ways to export the material on digital platforms around the world, Heritage Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly said. \u201cThe quality of the content is already there; let\u2019s stop saying it isn\u2019t quality content,\u201d Ms. Joly told The Globe and Mail in an interview. Ms. Joly\u2019s comments in defence of Canada\u2019s creative sector comes as she launches the final phase of a major public consultation on the future of cultural industries, which are struggling in the face of rapid technological changes.<\/p>\n
Under the heading of \u201cCanadian Content in a Digital World,\u201d Ms. Joly is now set to host a series of meetings with members of Canada\u2019s cultural industries, starting in Vancouver on Sept. 26. At the same time, the government is asking Canadians to continue sending in feedback on a new discussion paper, using the hashtag of #DigiCanCon to comment on social media.The shake-up is based on two trends that stir up fears in the industry: A clear majority of Canadians state they will be mostly using the Internet to access cultural content in the future, while research shows that Canadians consume less Canadian content when they are on Internet platforms.<\/p>\n