SOCAN is continuing a national campaign calling on its members, the entire music industry, and the public to urge the Government of Canada to publicly reject any new copyright exceptions that would permit free, unauthorized use of copyright-protected works for AI training.
The campaign follows an October 2025 announcement by the Government of Australia that they would protect Australian creators by ruling out a copyright exception for AI training. SOCAN’s campaign calls on the Government of Canada to stand behind creators and make a similar statement.
The ongoing letter-signing campaign has received overwhelming support, with more than 8,600 signatories, including Sarah McLachlan, Ed Robertson, Sony Music Publishing Canada, BMG Music Publishing, Nettwerk Music Group, and many more.
High engagement on the campaign demonstrates that this is an important issue for Canada’s creative industries. It also matters to the public: a November 2025 survey of Canadians conducted by Pollara for SOCAN found that 87% of them say they want to listen to music created by humans, not AI; and 85% support government regulation of AI to ensure ethical use.
SOCAN’s campaign continues as the Government of Canada’s National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture begins today in Banff, Alberta, and runs March 16 to 17, 2026. It’s expected that supporting the interests of creators, including rejecting any new copyright exceptions, will be a key topic of these discussions.