TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has thrown its support behind the broadcasters’ demands for fee-for-carriage, but only if they promise to put that money back into Canadian programming.
The group said that with “record high profits, cable companies can and should contribute more to Canadian broadcasting”, but should not be allowed to “pass the buck” to consumers.
“Private broadcasters and cable companies have been getting a free ride for too long, and consumers and audiences already aren’t getting what they’ve been paying for through their cable fees and taxes”, said national president Ferne Downey, in a statement. “It’s time to make both private broadcasters and big cable, who have profited from the system, give back to Canadian consumers by giving them the opportunity to see their own stories on their own airwaves.”
Speculating that Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore may override the CRTC’s decision, ACTRA had a message for him as well.
“If the Heritage Minister is prepared to start telling the CRTC what to do, then we hope he’ll stand up for the right of Canadians to access Canadian content on our airwaves and make sure we aren’t being fleeced by big cable,” Downey added.
ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media across Canada.
