CAVA ADVOCATES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CANADIANS' 3C RIGHTS
- CAVA
- Apr 15, 2025
- 4 min read
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
April 14, 2025
FEDERAL POLITICAL PARTIES MUST PROTECT CANADIAN VOICES
TORONTO – Today, the Canadian Association of Voice Actors (CAVA) has called upon all major political parties to enact legislation protecting the voice, image, name, and likeness (VINL) of ALL Canadians.
“It might come as a shock to many, but your voice can be cloned, copied, scraped, stolen and used without your permission in Canada.” said Tanya Buchanan, President of CAVA. “Advances in generative artificial intelligence technology mean that full voice clones can be created with only a few seconds of recording. This is not just an issue for voice actors, it is an issue for all Canadians.”
There are numerous ways in which this emerging technology can exploit and mislead everyday Canadians. A perfect example is the notorious ‘Grandparent Phone Scam’ where voice cloning is used to impersonate a grandchild’s voice to con the victim out of their hard-earned savings. Also, we have seen many examples of the voice and likeness of politicians replicated by AI, thereby eroding trust in real news.
CAVA supports the principles that every citizen should:
1. Have control over their voice, image, name, and likeness.
2. Be able to consent to the use of their voice, image, name, and likeness, and
3. Be compensated for the use of any digital reproduction of their voice, image, name, and likeness.
These are collectively known as 3C rights.
“It’s currently the Wild West out there and that creates uncertainty in an already uncertain time,” said Buchanan. “When the rights of Canadians are clarified it helps set the stage for a stronger creative economy that supports continued technological advances that are fair, informed and responsible.”
A letter has been sent to each of the major political parties requesting them to clarify their stance on this important issue. Responses received before General Election Day will be shared with CAVA members and posted on the CAVA website.
The letter sent to the major political parties follows:
Did you know that you don’t currently have control over your own voice, image, name and likeness in
Canada? Your unique voice, image, name and likeness (VINL) can be cloned, copied and used in any way
without your permission - and right now, there is nothing you can do about it.
This is a serious concern to ALL Canadians but is of particular concern to professional voice actors across
Canada. As Generative AI technology rapidly advances, it is now easier than ever to digitally clone someone’s
voice – often requiring just a few seconds of audio to create a nearly perfect replica. We have already seen the
voice and likeness of many politicians replicated by AI, eroding trust in real news. In addition, voice actors have
had their voices cloned and used to financially benefit other parties without any permission or compensation.
Across Canada, Canadians are being harmed.
Because of this, the Canadian Association of Voice Actors (CAVA) believes it is both urgent and essential for
Parliament to enact legislation that protects our rights by enshrining every Canadian’s right for Consent, Control
and Compensation (3C) over their VINL as described in the table below.
CONSENT | CONTROL | COMPENSATION |
Canadians should have the right to give informed consent and receive credit when their VINL are used in new works or to train AI models. It should be illegal to create a synthetic voice clone or to use their voice to train a Large Language Model (LLM) without explicit permission. The same applies to Image and Likeness. Consent must be clearly stipulated. | Canadians should have control and the rights over the usage of their VINL. For example, if someone consents to having their voice cloned using AI technology, they should also have the right to decide how, where and in what type of content their voice is used. | All Canadians, including voice actors and other types of performers, should be fairly compensated for all AI uses of their VINLs. Voice actors, and/or their representatives, should have the right to negotiate compensation that reflects both the value of their talent and any potential loss of future work resulting from AI replication. |
Simply put, our individual liberties, freedoms and our livelihoods are at stake. We are therefore asking all political
parties for their response to the following question:
If your party forms the next government, will it act urgently to pass legislation that safeguards Canadians’
3C rights over the use of their voice, image, name and likeness?
We look forward to sharing your response with our members across Canada to help them make an informed
decision on election day. In a time of economic uncertainty, there has never been a greater need and
opportunity to strengthen the foundation of Canada’s creative economy. Your response – and this election –
matters!
Sincerely,
Tanya Buchanan, President
The Canadian Association of Voice Actors
The Canadian Association of Voice Actors (CAVA) is a Canadian non-profit organization that educates, supports, and advocates for the sustainability and advancement of the voice acting industry through action, inclusion, and benefits. For more information about CAVA visit https://www.cavavoices.org/