Charest called on anti-protectionist rhetoric in Europe

It was bound to happen. When you go around Europe touting open markets and decrying protectionism, eventually someone takes a look at your own practices. So Quebec Premier Jean Charest found himself defending his province’s tax breaks for cultural products such as CDs, DVDs and theatre tickets, even as he pushed for a Canada-EU free trade deal. Charest says protecting culture is allowed under UNESCO conventions and NAFTA. But one trade expert says that NAFTA and UNESCO conventions on culture allow retaliatory measures against the province. The issue could loom large if Canada ever reach a trade deal with the EU, given the amount of French-language producers who would see the province as a potential market.

The Montreal Gazette