OTTAWA – Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is inviting participants from Canada’s creative industries to join him on trade mission to Latin America in February.
In a statement Monday, Canadian Heritage said that the entrepreneurs selected to take part in the mission will be able to explore potential business opportunities in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina and build a network of key buyers, suppliers and contacts.
The initiative, part of the Creative Export Strategy, will help to strengthen Canada's commercial, cultural and diplomatic relations with Latin America through activities that include a business matching program, information sessions and networking events. Delegates will also meet…
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Claiming racism, harassment, wrongful dismissal and punitive damages
TORONTO – Former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan has filed a motion against the attorney general of Canada, the CRTC, Minister Mélanie Joly, the Governor-in-Council and various individuals, including former Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais, for the sum of $8.4 million.
The 65-page statement of claim, filed with the Ontario Superior Court October 31st, retells much of the conflict between Shoan, who was hired as the CRTC’s Ontario Commissioner in June 2013, and various others including Blais, the chairman of the CRTC at the time, and former Heritage Ministers Shelly Glover and Joly.
Shoan was accused…
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OTTAWA – A consensus may be emerging which says while we need to change the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts, that can be done only as long as those changes don’t involve any playing in my sandbox.
We had this feeling when the Privacy Commissioner appeared and said, essentially: We’re doing fine but please give us more enforcement powers inside the communications business
Then today (Tuesday) when the CRTC appeared in front of the Senate Committee studying change into the two Acts on Tuesday morning, the same thing happened. Senator Rosa Galvez asked “If your situation is the…
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OTTAWA – Divergent opinions on whether a movie and television producer should be credited as an author on their productions took centre stage at the latest Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which is discussing remuneration models for artists and creative industries in relation to the Copyright Act review.
Speaking on behalf of the Writers Guild of Canada on Tuesday, which represents more than 2,000 English-language writers working in film, television, radio and digital media production, director of policy Neal McDougall pointed out that both scripts and productions resulting from scripts are separate entities under…
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OTTAWA – While most witnesses have insisted the Broadcasting Act is woefully out of date and the sky is falling on the industry, the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications reviewing that piece of legislation as well as the Telecommunications Act heard last week the Broadcasting Act actually works just fine, and the broadcasting system is relatively healthy.
On Wednesday, October 17, Marc Raboy, Beaverbrook professor emeritus in ethics, media and communications at McGill University and Gregory Taylor, assistant professor at the department of communication, media and film, University of Calgary, told a far different story than the appointed politicians…
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OTTAWA – Despite having more than 100 film and television credits to his name, in addition to stage appearances across North America, ACTRA president David Sparrow knows the struggles of an artist’s life all too well.
“That comparatively successful career does not necessarily make me a household name, or financially stable. This is a tough business,” Sparrow said Tuesday morning to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which gathered again in Ottawa to further discuss remuneration models for Canadian artists in the Canadian Copyright Act. Among those presenting were representatives from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists…
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CANNES – Newly-installed CBC/Radio Canada chief Catherine Tait by now has gotten used to people congratulating her on being the first woman to run the public broadcaster.
"But most importantly, I'm the first producer to run the CBC," a fact underlined this week as Tait attends the MIPCOM TV conference in Cannes, where she sat down with Cartt.ca for an interview.
Walking up and down the Croisette and around the bunker-like Palais des Festivals is meant to signal the CBC is open for business as it looks internationally for content and commercial opportunities, Tait said Sunday. She argued the CBC or…
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OTTAWA – As part of Canada’s Copyright Act review, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage announced earlier this year it would study remuneration models for artists and creative industries. Even Bryan Adams made an appearance last month.
On Thursday, the committee heard from Google Canada’s Jason Kee, who serves as the company’s Counsel on Public Policy and Government Relations. As the company has stated many times prior all around the world, its stance on remuneration is based on a partnership model. Its YouTube division has, of course, created a large number of content-creating…
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OTTAWA – Last evening, the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications heard how staff at Canadian Heritage as well as Innovation, Science and Economic Development might change the Telecommunications, Broadcasting and the Radiocommunication Act.
As we’ve reported, the Senate is thinking about how the legislation can be modernized to account for the evolution of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors in the last decades. As you may have heard, the federal government has appointed an expert panel to do the same thing.
Some criticisms were voiced by Senators on the composition of that panel. For example, Committee…
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OTTAWA – The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications started to examine how the three federal communications statutes (the Telecommunications Act, the Broadcasting Act, and the Radiocommunication Act) can be modernized In light of the evolution of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors in the last decades.
Last week they heard from university professors and today, Konrad von Finckenstein, former chair of the CRTC, and the Commissioner of Competition met the committee.
Von Finckenstein submitted six points for the Committee to examine. “First, in the reform of our communication legislation, examine everything from an Internet-centric point of view. To borrow a…
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