TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is throwing its support behind the NDP government’s pre-election promise to scrap the $115 million cut to CBC/Radio-Canada made in the 2012 federal budget.
Describing the CBC as “an essential public service” in a statement this week, NDP leader Tom Mulcair also pledged to guarantee stable, predictable, multi-year financing for the public broadcaster and to set up an independent process for appointing members of the CBC’s board of directors.
ACTRA said in its own statement that it has “long argued for more accountability in the governance of the CBC”, and that the NDP’s plan for implementing an independent process for appointing members to the CBC’s board “should lead to better creator advocacy and better representation”.
“Canadian content creators bring audiences to the CBC and we should be part of the decision making process as champions of our stories,” said ACTRA national president Ferne Downey, in the statement. “We applaud NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s commitment to better governance.”
“Film and television production is a key driver of jobs and tax revenue in Canada and our industry thrives when the right investments are made,” added Stephen Waddell, ACTRA national executive director. “Stable, multi-year financing directed towards Canadian scripted drama is badly needed.”
ACTRA represents the interests of 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada.
