August 2, 2024 – Whitehorse, Yukon – Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

The cultural industries play a vital role in the Yukon’s economy. They contribute to employment, retail sales and the territory’s cultural tourism offerings. This important sector also supports community development and the preservation of cultural identity.

Today, Dr. Brendan Hanley, Member of Parliament for the Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister of PrairiesCan and CanNor, announced that the Government of Canada is investing over $114,000 in the Northern Cultural Expressions Society (NCES). NCES’s three-year Market and Export Readiness project will provide business-related training to First Nations artists in the Yukon. This training includes developing a marketing plan and website, and creating a framework for artists to successfully scale-up and launch domestic and international marketing and sales.

Through investments like this, the government of Canada is supporting the expansion and diversification of the Yukon’s cultural industries. Opening new markets to Yukon First Nations artists brings economic benefits to the communities they operate in, and contributes to a more diversified and inclusive economy.