Federal Budget-Producers thank gov’t for CTF support, despite lack of long-term commitment

Independent television producers and those charged with running the Canadian Television Fund are putting a positive spin on the short-term renewal of the fund, despite the fact they had lobbied aggressively for a long-term commitment from the government. Finance minister Paul Martin’s December 10 federal budget earmarked $100 million for the CTF for the 2002-03 fiscal year. "I think the real issue here is that it was renewed in a time when Mr. Martin obviously had a number of difficult decisions to make," says Elizabeth McDonald, president and CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association. "We’re confident in (Mr. Martin’s) support. We know he had to act responsibly in a difficult economic year." There was talk at a Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage hearing on November 27 that the Standing Committee on Finance was reluctant to recommend including money to renew the CTF in the budget because it was initially billed as a temporary fund to kick-start Canadian production (CCR Update, Nov. 28/01). McDonald, however, says otherwise. "We’ll continue to work for long-term renewal, and we’re very pleased that the Standing Committee on Finance has recommended that the CTF be given long-term permanent standing," she states. Phil Serruya, CTF director of communications, notes that times have changed and that the CTF should no longer be viewed as a set-in-motion measure, but as a permanent fixture in the broadcasting system. "There has been a significant influx of new specialty channels, most recently the digital channels…(and) the demand for Canadian programming is certainly at an all-time high," he tells CCR. "The argument that the industry has made on behalf of making the fund permanent is the fact that an increase in Canadian content demand will require sustained contributions from the federal government." CTF president and CEO Garry Toth and interim chair Janet Yale also praise the government for the one-year renewal. "We’re extremely pleased that the federal government continues to recognize the importance of Canadian television both for its significance to the national fabric of Canada and also as a valuable revenue source for the country." In a news release, Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps notes that in its first five years, investment of $991 million by the fund resulted in 10,900 hours of new programming, with production budgets of $3.3 billion. "These numbers, combined with the fact that the fund remains oversubscribed, proves the important role the CTF plays in meeting Canadian content objectives," she adds. No broadband funding Martin’s security-focused budget also included $60 million in previously announced new funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. No money was included for Industry minister Brian Tobin’s broadband initiative. But it did include $110 million to build and operate CA*net 4, which will benefit research organizations across the country, and continued funding for the SchoolNet and Community Access programs. On the government’s pledge to have all communities in Canada connected to high-speed Internet by 2004, Martin said, "More planning is required to properly achieve our commitment, particularly given the rapidly changing technology and, as a consequence, we will shift our target to the end of 2005." David Johnston, chair of the government-appointed National Broadband Task Force, tells CCR that extending the target for the rollout of broadband to every Canadian community by a year isn’t a bad thing. He says broadband access via satellite may be cheaper and more advanced by then, thus providing an alternative to fibre in connecting the nation.

Federal Budget-Producers thank gov’t for CTF support, despite lack of long-term commitment

News | 12/19/2001 5:00 am EST

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