OTTAWA – Political parties should be sharing their plans for the future of Canada’s TV and film production sector, the CFTPA said today.
When a film or television production rolls into a small town or a large city in Canada, employment comes with it. In fact, as small and medium-sized businesses, the 400 independent producer-members of the Canadian Film and Television Association employ more than 100,000 Canadians every year, says a press release the association issued today.
“Among them are writers, directors, actors and designers as well as carpenters, caterers and drivers to name a few. The production industry generates about $5 billion a year to the Canadian economy, including $1.7 billion in exports. In a nutshell, production means business,” adds the release.
"The production industry has been a major success story and Canada is poised to be a world leader in the creative economy, but we need a vision and a strategy for it to have a successful future," said Guy Mayson, CEO of the CFTPA in the release. "We are pleased the Liberals made their cultural initiatives clear over the weekend. And now that the issue is fully on the agenda, we need to know what the other political leaders are thinking in terms of their plans for the future of the production industry. So far they have been silent in this regard."
Three weeks ago, the CFTPA sent letters to each of the federal political leaders, asking them to tell Canadians their plan to help grow the Canadian film, television and interactive media sector. “Continued government investment to ensure a competitive business environment, stable financing and international marketing, is vital to help drive innovation, growth and prosperity in Canada’s creative-based, technology economy,” said the association.
"Canadian producers are working in a rapidly expanding and competitive global marketplace and the potential for growth is enormous," added Mayson. "Similar to initiatives in other Canadian sectors strategic government investment is key to the future of independent production. We need to start a debate on how to grow our sector."
