The Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada announced Tuesday plans to develop a three-year strategy to “foster growth and inclusion” in Canada’s audiovisual industry with a “focus on supporting Black and People of Colour creators through training initiatives, partnerships, and structured approaches to data collection.”
The press release notes that the organizations will collaborate with other federal audiovisual institutions and consult with Black and people of colour communities and other industry members.
“The overarching mission is to develop a strategy that increases access to audiovisual training institutions, collaborates with organizations in offering [equity and diversity impact assessment] training programs, and integrates data-driven decisions into policies and programs,” the release says.
“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our commitment to growth and inclusion for Canada’s audiovisual industry and is an important element of the CMF’s overall EDIA strategy,” Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF, said in the release. “By working even more closely with Telefilm, on this initiative and others, we can create more opportunities for Black and People Of Colour storytellers across the country, paving the way for a more representative and authentic cultural narrative that resonates with audiences at home and globally.”
A recent Writers Guild of Canada report found that representation of Black writers working on Canadian TV decreased in 2023 to 7.9 per cent; representation of indigenous writers in animation is “marginal,” as both the percentage of writers working and writing credits sit around one per cent or lower; overall diverse writers working in animation continue to “face barriers to access work opportunities and receive proper compensation; and the share of diverse executive producers sits at 27 per cent in 2023, up slightly from 25 per cent, but still lower than the 40 per cent share of working diverse writers.
