The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) announced Thursday its members have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of authorizing strike action if there is no resolution in its ongoing negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).
According to the WGC, 96.5 per cent voted in favour of a strike mandate during a week-long voting period, which saw 70.2 per cent of eligible voters taking part, the highest voter turnout in the WGC’s history.
“This strike authorization vote, a first in the Guild’s 33-year history, represents a pivotal moment for Canadian screenwriters,” WGC executive director Victoria Shen said in a press release. “It underscores our members’ commitment to securing fair compensation and meaningful AI protections in an ever-evolving industry.
“While a strong strike mandate does not necessarily mean we will strike, it tells the producers we are ready to defend ourselves if necessary. We remain committed to negotiating a fair agreement for our members,” Shen added.
The strike authorization vote came after nearly six months of negotiations aimed at renewing the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) between the WGC and the CMPA. WGC members have been working without a new contract since Dec. 31, 2023.
“To date, the parties have not been able to negotiate meaningful protections for both live action and animation writers against AI, reasonable compensation for animation writers, or secure minimum participation of screenwriters during production of television series,” the WGC’s press release says.
“Our members understand what’s at stake in these negotiations, and I am proud of the strength of their support in this vote,” said Alex Levine, president of the WGC. “We cannot let producers devalue us and our work. We are standing strong and together to secure a future for Canadian screenwriters.”
The WGC says it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with producers and keeping the industry working.
In a statement released Thursday, the CMPA’s vice president of national industrial relations and counsel, Sean Porter, said the CMPA “remains at the table and is committed to a negotiated settlement with the WGC.”
“Canadian producers value the work of Canadian screenwriters and sincerely believe that future Canadian projects should be written by humans, not AI algorithms,” Porter said.
“We believe a labour dispute would be extremely damaging to the domestic Canadian film and television production sector and we remain focused on successfully concluding negotiations.”
