Article Counterpoint: Cultural Protectionism Is Necessary in Canada is written by Jeff Klassen and is published in Canadian Points of View: Cultural Protectionisms, which is the property of Great Neck Publishing. The principal thesis of the paper states that cultural protectionism is especially important for Canada in cultural, economic, and political aspects. Canada is actively working in this direction, but the growing pace of globalization and, in particular, American influence require a decent resolution to the concern of preserving cultural heritage and self-identification. The central purpose of this article is to draw attention to the current state of affairs on the world stage and emphasize the essential for cultural protectionism.
Arguments of the Work
The author emphasizes the importance of his judgments mainly with economic arguments, relegating the cultural aspect to the background. He argues that Canada, being a politically stable country, uses cultural protectionism primarily to protect vulnerable industries from the massive American influence. Klassen pays particular attention to the media and art industries, which experience severe competition from imported products. All the statistics given in the article testify to the insufficient financing of enterprises and cultural security measures and the low interest of residents.
Evidence and Conclusion
In Klassen’s work, one can see an active call for the separation of Canadian culture from an American one without turning into anti-Americanism. To argue his position, the author gives examples and brief comments on much evidence taken by Canada concerning cultural protectionism. For example, active support for the UNESCO Diversity Convention, the creation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to increase Canadian content on radio, the organizing of the Canadian Heritage Department to protect cultural heritage. Everything is particularly compared with the American influence and position. The final thought of the article suggests that cultural protection is necessary for Canada’s economy and culture. However, this approach is not supposed to be overly confrontational.