Parliament Hill in Ottawa was rockin’ on May 22, 2024, as Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge spoke of the important work that SOCAN does, and more than 200 Members of Parliament, Senators, and government staff attended SOCAN’s annual Parliamentary reception, revived this year after a gap in 2023.
The always-popular event allows federal officials to learn more about SOCAN, and listen to our members’ music, live. This year, JUNO Award winners William Prince and Ron Sexsmith, as well as Félix Award winners Les Sœurs Boulay, mesmerized the assembled Parliamentarians with their soulful performances. Each of them talked about how crucial SOCAN is to their livelihoods, and to those of our more than 185,000 members.
Our CEO Jennifer Brown and President Marc Ouellette both spoke about the work SOCAN does, the ever-changing music industry, AI implications, and the importance of supporting Canadian artists. We took the opportunity to emphasize the cultural and economic impact of SOCAN’s songwriters, composers, screen composers, and music publishers, both domestically and globally, and presented our policy positions to a wide range of federal government decision-makers. Senator René Cormier, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, and Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux also spoke at the event.
It was an evening filled with music, connection, and creativity, highlighting the diversity and talent of the Canadian music industry.