Fearing Flood of U.S. TV, Trudeau Puts Culture on Nafta Front Burner
- Trudeau says he won’t open up airwaves to American takeover
- Cultural exemption a key issue for PM in vote-rich Quebec
This article is for subscribers only.
Justin Trudeau won’t sign a new Nafta deal if it means Canada’s airwaves will be swallowed up by American media giants.
The Canadian prime minister teed up the latest round of trade talks with the U.S. by digging in on a fight over an exemption for cultural industries. Negotiated a generation ago between the U.S. and Canada, it essentially means the pact doesn’t apply to sectors like television and music, which the prime ministers says are essential to maintaining the northern nation’s identity.