Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, English-language minority film and television production in Canada fell by nearly 40 per cent, according to a report released Tuesday by the Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC).
The QEPC commissioned Nordicity to undertake the research for the report, which was produced with the participation of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Telefilm Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and ACTRA Montreal.
The Canadian Official Language Minority Audio-Visual Production Report 1996-97 to 2023-24 is a 28-year quantitative study that examines data on official language minority community (OLMC) Canadian content production, with a focus on OLMC production in Quebec.
According to the report, English-language OLMC production in Quebec declined from $160 million in 2022-23 to $143 million in 2023-24. “With the 11% year-over-year drop in the dollar-volume of production in 2023-24, OLMC production in 2023-24 was 38% lower than where it stood [in] 2019-20,” a press release from the QEPC says.
Furthermore, English-language OLMC production has been declining for more than 20 years, particularly when viewed as a percentage of overall English-language Canadian content production, the QEPC says. “From a peak of 26% of total English CanCon in 1997-98, OLMC production fell to a 5% share in 2020-21. Since 2020-21, it has not been able to rise above that 5%,” the QEPC’s press release says.
OLMC production remains economically important to Quebec, the QEPC says, adding that an estimated 2,800 jobs in Quebec were supported by OLMC production in 2023-24, including 1,800 crew and cast jobs, and a further 1,000 indirect and induced impact jobs — many of which went to French-language talent in the province.
“This employment impact is, however, a fraction of the impact generated by OLMC production in its peak years,” the QEPC’s press release says. “With over $260 million in production volume in 2016-17, OLMC production supported an estimated 7,600 jobs, including 4,500 crew and cast jobs and 3,100 indirect and induced impact jobs across the Quebec economy. It is clear that the decline in OLMC production in Quebec is not only critical for the OLMC community, but for the health of the entire audiovisual industry in Quebec.”
“The data in this report shows a persistent decline in OLMC production in Quebec — an issue which harms the Quebec audiovisual industry as a whole,” Kirwan Cox, executive director of the QEPC, said in the organization’s press release. “Our productions bring jobs and money into the Quebec economy and reflect our voice as an Official Language Minority within Canada. We shouldn’t have to leave our home to be able to tell our own stories. Without adequate protections our community and our stories are at risk of disappearing.”
Cover page of the Canadian Official Language Minority Audio-Visual Production Report 1996-97 to 2023-24 from the Quebec English-language Production Council and Nordicity
