VANCOUVER – An amendment to the Federal Income Tax Act that affects the granting of tax credits for Canadian films and television shows is seen by many Canadians as a threat to artistic expression, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, almost half (48%) of respondents think Bill C-10 – which would allow the Heritage Minister to grant tax credits only to productions that would “not be contrary to public policy” – should be rejected because it amounts to censorship and jeopardizes artistic freedom in Canada.
Conversely, 36% of respondents think the piece of legislation – now in its third reading before the Senate – should be passed in order to ensure that taxpayers don’t subsidize productions that involve extreme violence or child pornography, as the government has asserted.
Bill C-10 was approved by the House of Commons last fall. The amendment was first introduced by Liberal lawmakers in 2003, and is now backed by the Conservative minority government in Ottawa, says Angus Reid.
The bill, however, is perceived differently by supporters of Canada’s main federal parties. While 54% of Conservative voters support passing Bill C-10, only 26% of Liberals agree. Liberal voters (62%), New Democratic Party (NDP) voters (53%), Bloc Québécois voters (55%) and Green Party voters (57%) are more likely to say that Bill C-10 amounts to censorship than Conservatives (33%).
Regionally, Quebec (56%) and British Columbia (53%) hold the highest number of respondents who deem the bill as a censorship tool and a threat to freedom of expression. They are followed by Atlantic Canada (48%), Ontario (46%), Alberta (42%), and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (37%).
Younger respondents (56%), those earning over $100,000 a year (57%), and those with a high level of education (57%) are also more likely to believe that Bill C-10 jeopardizes artistic freedom.
