OTTAWA – The Canadian Film and Television Production Association said today it has resigned from the Canadian Interactive Alliance.
At the same time, Marc Séguin, vice-president, feature film and new technology, CFTPA, stepped down from the alliance’s board of directors.
The CFTPA represents the interests of Canadian television, feature film and interactive media producers across Canada, actively lobbying federal and provincial governments in various policy areas including taxation, trade, copyright, broadcasting, feature film and interactive media, as well as negotiating and managing a multitude of labour agreements.
As a founding member of the original new media industry alliance formed some five years ago, the CFTPA has not taken the decision to distance itself from the CIAIC lightly, says the press release. “The CFTPA had hoped that the CIAIC would become an effective national organization that would further the interests of new media content producers across Canada by participating actively in helping to shape public policy, particularly at the federal level.”
However, “(f)or some time the CFTPA has been disappointed in the CIAIC’s effectiveness and with the priorities it has established since its incorporation. More specifically, we are troubled by the recent Board decision to amend the CIAIC’s bylaws to limit full voting membership to ‘not-for-profit trade associations that have a majority of members that are creators or enablers of interactive media content or services’,” says the release.
The CFTPA has previously expressed concerns to this regard, and does not agree with the rationale on which this decision was based.
“In our view, the broad diversity of interests indirectly represented through the current provincial association members, coupled with the lack of a focused and explicit mandate, seriously compromises both the CIAIC’s credibility as an industry association and its capacity to specifically represent the interests new media content producers in Canada,” said Guy Mayson, president and CEO of the CFTPA..
“We are encouraged by the recent election of Ian Kelso as president of the board of directors; however, at this time we do not believe the CIAIC can effectively represent the interests of CFTPA members engaged in new media content creation.”
