Cultural Sovereignty, Identity, And North American Integration: On the Relevance of the U.S.-Canada-Quebec Border (1)‪.‬

Present means of communication, new and emerging technologies and, more generally, the specifics of cultural goods and services confer on the Canada-U.S. border a virtual character to a great extent. Such technological developments, in addition to growing economic continentalism and the application of existing international trade rules, all combine to render more problematic the maintenance of a distinctive Canadian culture and identity on the North American continent. If, overall, the benefits for Canada of an international rules-based system cannot be questioned, it is clear that specific rules are required to ensure the conditions for the viability of national cultural policies. For Canada, the reality of living next to the United States, its powerful neighbor, has proven a source of concern about the viability of the Canadian polity. In response, there have been initiatives to help sustain a genuinely national culture and identity in the face of pervasive U.S. influence. Yet, policies to protect and promote national culture and identity entail restrictions that contravene principles of liberalization, which a trade-dependent country such as Canada has otherwise benefited from and strongly promoted.