TORONTO – As reported here last week, negotiations on a new collective agreement between producers and actors began today in Toronto.
On Friday, the Canadian Film and Television Producers’ Association put out a press release warning ACTRA, the actors’ union, that our media times have changed and that any new contract will have to reflect that.
ACTRA showed up this morning with a 50-member opening day team which included the Trailer Park Boys, Robb Wells, Mike Smith and John Paul Tremblay (Ricky, Bubbles and Julian), Corner Gas star Eric Peterson, 24’s Alberta Watson, Wendy Crewson, Gordon Pinsent, Tonya Lee Williams and others.
“We turned out in force today to demonstrate the resolve across our membership, and to say a few things that need saying to Canadian producers,” said Richard Hardacre, ACTRA’s national president.
“We’re looking forward to working in close partnership with them on critical industry issues like the upcoming CRTC hearings in the months to come.
“To get there, we told them today, we’re looking to make some real progress addressing the huge gap in compensation between Canadian actors and American ones on our own sets here in Canada, on working conditions and on residuals,” added Hardacre.
Hardacre and the ACTRA contingent were joined at the table by United Steelworkers Canadian National Director Ken Neumann, said the press release. Pointing out the strategic partnership between ACTRA and the United Steelworkers, Neumann urged producers to work co-operatively with ACTRA.
ACTRA’s agreement with producers expires on December 31, 2006.
