CREATIVE ORGANIZATIONS across the country reminded the Canadian government about its commitment to new legislation to force web giants to pay their fair share when it comes to Canadian content, a commitment which they hope to see represented in Wednesday’s speech from the throne, which will kick off the next session of Parliament.
In a press release issued Monday morning, leaders of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), AQPM (Association Québécoise de la production médiatique), ARRQ (Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec), CMPA (Canada Media Producers Association), DGC (Directors Guild of Canada), SARTEC (Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma) and WGC (Writers Guild of Canada) issued the following joint statement:
“The screen industries have been hard hit by the pandemic, but we cannot allow this crisis to derail the future of a sector vital to Canadian identity, the economy and the cultural life of Canadians. Representing tens of thousands of members and hundreds of companies, we’re calling on the government to press ahead now with its long-planned modernization of the Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Copyright Acts.
“It has taken our industry two decades to reach a consensus on how to modernize the rules of our broadcasting system for the digital age. From the laws governing global internet giants to ensuring all players in the broadcast sector are required to invest in the creation and promotion of original Canadian programming, we have worked too long to see progress stalled. The new legislation needs to reflect appropriate requirements for the online players to support creators and partner with producers in a way that ensures that the value of IP stays in Canada,” continues the joint statement.
“Our sector represents a $9.3 billion marketplace responsible for 180,900 well-paid, middle-class jobs. We are calling on the government to keep its promises and protect the tens of thousands of Canadians who rely on this economy for their livelihoods by updating these laws for the 21st century,” adds the statement.
The federal government committed to an overhaul of the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act in its Creative Canada policy framework launched by the Department of Canadian Heritage in September 2017, which came after two years of study which began in 2015. In 2018, an expert panel was launched to review these Acts under the leadership of Janet Yale. Following the release of the panel’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review report (known as the Yale Report) in January 2020, the federal government said it would bring forward legislation this past spring. However, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Heritage minister Steven Guilbeault committed in June to tabling a new Act before the end of 2020.
In an earlier press release issued on Sunday, the Coalition for Culture and Media (CCM) also called on the federal government to table legislative measures which will ensure the application of Canadian regulations to all digital platforms.
Founded in 2017, the CCM consists of more than 40 organizations active in the cultural and media sectors in Canada. In addition to ACTRA, AQPM, ARRQ, DGC and SARTEC, the CCM also counts among its member organizations the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC), Documentary Organization of Canada and its Quebec chapter, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, On Screen Manitoba, Québec Cinéma, Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC), Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) and SOCAN.
“Although encouraged by recent statements from the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the CCM reiterates that it is necessary to enact regulations, as quickly as possible, to oblige the Internet giants and online listening in Canada to contribute to the creation of Canadian content in both official languages, for the benefit of our culture and our society. Regulation of foreign online services is essential to restoring fairness with our conventional broadcasters (radio and television) who are required to invest in Canadian music and audiovisual productions. We must also ensure that that the Internet giants apply the GST/HST to online services offered in Canada,” reads the CCM press release.
The CCM says it is adding its voice to the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel, whose report advocated for establishing a registration mechanism for foreign companies offering online cultural content and giving the CRTC greater powers to supervise their activities in Canada.
“The Covid-19 crisis is hitting artists and cultural industries hard, and doubly so by accelerating the adoption of new ways to access culture and information, a situation that exacerbates the regulatory inequity resulting from the government’s inaction in the face of the digital revolution. While the big globalized online platforms have seen their customers, revenues and value skyrocket in recent months, most sectors of activity linked to culture have been weakened by the health crisis,” adds the CCM release.
