OTTAWA – ACTRA and the United Steelworkers announced this week they will work together to lobby for certain election platforms.
They are challenging ministers, party leaders and MPs of all parties “to bring Canada back to a position of strong cultural and national identity,” says their co-branded press release.
"It’s time for politicians to take a stand and recognize that working people – regardless of what they do for a living – are the backbone of our nation. Let’s see politicians make some key commitments on culture and trade and show us they’re listening," said actor R.H. Thomson.
"Over the last two decades, successive governments have allowed our country to become vulnerable to globalization and U.S. cultural influences. We have to stop product dumping – everything from TV shows to lumber and steel," said Steelworkers’ National Director Ken Neumann.
Leaders of Canada’s largest private-sector labour union and some of Canada’s most-prominent performers are meeting with ministers and MPs with a list of demands that would benefit all Canadians, says the release.
Their pitch includes ideas for fixing two key regulators – the CRTC and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal. Other platform priorities include investing in culture, health care and post-secondary education, and making key legislative reforms to protect workers and maintain limits to foreign ownership of telecommunications companies.
"Canada has a unique national identity. We’re selling out that identity and we’re losing ourselves thanks in part to weak broadcasting and trade regulations," said Peter Keleghan, star of The Newsroom and Made in Canada.
"We’re losing our cultural voice and we need to hear the parties commit to fixing the CRTC in the next election," said Gabrielle Miller, star of Corner Gas and Robson Arms.
"Our Platform Pitch is completely do-able and will go a long way in ensuring that Canadians have control over their culture and their economy," added Neumann.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is Canada’s biggest performers union, with over 21,000 members.
The United Steelworkers is Canada’s largest private-sector labour organization, representing more than 280,000 workers.
