Canadian artists grapple with U.S. tariffs, find new buyers amid trade war

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-22 10:00:06.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Culture, Taxation]

Following the breakdown of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, the United States imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian visual arts, crafts, and natural materials, including paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. The Visual Arts Alliance and the Canadian Artists Representation (CARFAC) have called on the federal government to implement targeted financial relief for artists and galleries, establish a GST exemption for buyers of Canadian-made art, and create clear customs policies for temporary art exports. Industry advocates, such as OCAD University President Ana Serrano, are urging Ottawa to treat cultural and creative industries as intellectual property and actively promote them in foreign export markets like Europe to offset losses in the U.S.