ACP has made available its 2021 Pre-Budget Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance.
Though existing programs are helping publishers in the immediate crisis, publishers will face the mainstay of challenges in early 2021 and beyond. An uncertain retail market, vulnerable supply chain, and myriad sales and marketing challenges will require resilience, agility, and innovation. These characteristics are inherent to independent publishers who are experienced in adapting to challenging market conditions. However, given the magnitude of the crisis, a combination of government policy intervention and strategic investment is essential to protecting existing publishing infrastructure and stimulating sales, so that the industry not only survives, but thrives, in the years to come.
Summary of Recommendations
1. Increase Canadian publishers’ competitiveness in a post-COVID-19 economy by immediately increasing the permanent annual budget of the Canada Book Fund, as recommended unanimously by the Standing Committee on Finance in 2016, from $38.4M to $58.4M.
2. Implement market-based solutions that encourage fair remuneration of rightsholders for use of copyright protected work through reform of the Copyright Act.
3. Stimulate local economies by introducing measures that encourage the purchase and reading of Canadian books.