The Artist’s Resale Right…

Good news for visual artists in the 2025 Federal Budget
CARFAC and RAAV, the national associations representing visual artists in Canada, are thrilled to see the Artist’s Resale Right in the Federal Budget:
“Artists, particularly visual artists, are great contributors to Canada’s cultural scene and among the lowest income earners in Canada despite their significant cultural contributions. An Artist’s Resale Right provides the creators of original visual artwork with a royalty whenever their work is resold through an eligible sale, providing an additional income stream. 
In Budget 2025, the government announces its intent to amend the Copyright Act to create an Artist’s Resale Right in Canada, ensuring Canadian visual artists benefit from future sales of their work.”

The Artist’s Resale Right is a royalty that allows artists to share in the wealth they generate in the marketplace. It aligns Canada with over 90 countries around the world that already have ARR legislation. Many of those laws provide for visual artists to receive 5% when their work is resold in the secondary market through an intermediary such as an auction house or commercial gallery. 
The ARR helps artists benefit from the ongoing commercial success of their art. It will help many senior artists who have worked for years in the industry, and often face financial difficulties later in life. It is also a huge win for Indigenous artists, who have too often been exploited in the secondary art market. 

CARFAC and RAAV look forward to Parliament approving the Fall Budget in the days to come, and look forward to seeing the details of how this much needed legislation will be implemented in Canada, and sharing that information with our community.
The Artist’s Resale Right