BANFF – Federal Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, as she has done for each of the last three years, delivered the opening keynote address at this year’s Banff World Media Festival and while in large part it was political self-congratulation for having reversed 10 years of cuts by the previous Conservative government, it was also an ample response to those in the industry who persist with the query, “what exactly has Joly done?”
Turns out she’s done a fair bit… not so much on substantive policy but quite a bit on the expenditure side.
Joly reminded delegates that last year at Banff she reported on the digital consultation with 30,000 Canadians about how to strengthen the creation, discovery, and export of domestic content in a digital world.
Among the points of broad consensus coming out of that report included calls for an expanded definition of “cultural industries,” for more support directed to the development phases of screen-based production, for global internet companies to contribute to our system in some way, and for a digital-age modernization of our legislative framework for culture and national cultural institutions… including updating the Broadcasting Act, the Copyright Act, the CRTC, and the mandate of the CBC/Radio-Canada.
Much of this digital-consultation input then shaped and guided the development of the vision for Creative Canada, announced in the fall.
Since the Liberals election in 2015, there has been $3.2 billion in new arts and culture funding — the most, according to Joly, in 30 years – the stabilization of the Canadian Media Fund (CMF), the streamlining of CAVCO and the cutting of wait times in half, a new CRTC Chair, Catherine Tait as the head of the CBC/RC, a more efficient Copyright Board, numerous new coproduction treaties with four more in the works, Canada’s entry to Eurimages (the cultural support fund for the Council of Europe) as the first non-European member country, and a virtual explosion of activity around trade fairs, cultural commissioners, and overseas missions such as her April foray into China which confirmed $125 million in new contracts and 32 business deals.
In a moment of candour, Joly also shared that she often has to remind her Federal Cabinet colleagues that culture has a significant economic impact: providing 630,000 jobs and contributing $55 billion per year in economic activity.
But it was not all conventional shop talk.
Minister Joly spoke convincingly and assertively for the industry to assure harassment-free work environments. “As a feminist government, we are with you and working with you to make this so”, she said.
Indeed, in the future only those organizations which provide harassment and discrimination free workplaces will receive public funding, and gender parity progress at organizations like the NFB and CMF are to be applauded, she conveyed.
Switching gears again, Joly noted in her address that 70% of Canadians’ online activity is now streaming audio and video content… mostly U.S. made and owned.
In that context, while it was important to maintain net neutrality, non-Canadian digital platforms reap significant benefits form our cultural investments and they should consequently contribute their fair share.
"We continue to champion the Internet as a progressive force—as an open and inclusive space, respectful of human rights and freedom of expression. In this digital age, our government stands firmly by the principle of net neutrality," read the written copy of Joly's speech
"But equally, we strongly support the protection and promotion of Canadian culture and creativity at home and around the world.
"Digital platforms greatly benefit from our creative industries. They must do their part. They must be more transparent about their business models and the impact of their algorithms. They must be ready to explain how they provide online content to Canadians," she continued.
"They must support creation, discoverability and access to diverse content from Canada, including local content and local news."
Noting that Canadians spend roughly $223 every month on communications services and that the Canadian communications (telecom and broadcasting) industry generates about $67 billion a year, she then talked a bit about the new review of our Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Radiocommunication Acts, which will be chaired by Janet Yale.
She hoped out loud that, just as Pierre Juneau in the 1960s had “struck the right balance for Canadian content”, that Yale’s panel would accomplish the same by 2019/20.
Two of Joly’s closing points were noteworthy:
a) she is committed to working with UNESCO and other international bodies to further the application of cultural exemption language in future trade deals (indeed coming out of the recent G7 she has apparently signed something with her French counterpart dealing with the web and such exemptions); and
b) that in the future Canadian producers will be able to trigger CMF funding if they have a signed contract with a Canadian online platform such as CBC.ca or CraveTV.
All of this taken together, along with the $1.9 million in new monies from 2016 and the $125 million funding commitment over five years to Canada’s Creative Export Strategy, puts the “what exactly has Joly done?” chattering whine in better relief.
Or as Valerie Creighton, the CMF head put it, “We always like working with our Ministers, but honey you’re the best we’ve had”.
Maybe yes, maybe no… but on this day the lady deserves a break.
And her speech writer a raise!
