Canadian TV, films must have a place in the globalized economy, says CFTPA president

Elizabeth McDonald, president and CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, spoke about the need to preserve Canadian content in a globalized economy before the Canadian Club in Toronto. She notes that the government’s innovation strategy has concentrated on businesses and economies at large, but has not focused much on what it means for the cultural industries. Below is an excerpt from her November 18 speech, entitled "Canadian TV and Movies are Worth the Investment." …If we walk away from Canadian drama or worse "put it to sleep"…we might just as well cede our broadcasting system away...Before we put up the white flag, we need to ensure that Canadian drama has a real chance in terms of development, financing, promotion and scheduling. To a large extent, up until now our broadcasting system has been built around the schedules of U.S. networks. We need to change that and we need to consider the impact on our young people if the shows they watch are always from another country, with a different political system, different values, different gun laws and health system… But, of course, the question still remains – are Canadian TV and movies worth any investment at all? Why should they be supported with public money at all? …The stated purpose of the government’s innovation strategy is to position Canada to succeed in the knowledge economy. It sets specific targets for things like research and development for improving our productivity. While its benchmark is the United States, it also recognizes that we are now part of a wider economic world; that distance is increasingly irrelevant for businesses and that our best must now be the world’s best. A great deal has been written about what this means for businesses and economies at large, but less attention has been focused on what this is all means for cultural industries such as ours. Sometimes we’ve looked at innovation only in terms of the technology it can generate – on gizmos and gadgets, faster networks, portable DVD players, more broadband and plasma televisions. What’s been missing from the debate is an appreciation for the other side of the equation, which is the content that will be shared and transmitted by the technology innovation creates. What will we see on those thinner TVs? What movies will we watch on those portable DVDs? Will there be a place for Canadian programming or Canadian films? Or will our future be one dominated by Vivendi or Disney, AOL-Time Warner or G.E.? This is far from a rhetorical question. ...As technology gallops ahead, the Internet and broadband technologies will be delivering more and more non-Canadian programming into Canada on an unregulated basis…We also need to begin to think about cultural sovereignty not just in terms of North America, but in a much broader context. Indeed, in a global context…And in a wider world, we need a clearer voice. That’s the real issue. …How do we prevent Canada from simply becoming a place through which other cultures pass? The answer isn’t higher walls or lower standards. Globalization is not the "big enemy." For Canada’s talented creative community, it is the big opportunity. But only if they’re given a fighting chance. Only if room is made for them. As satellites, the Internet and other new technologies conquer space and shatter borders, many countries – and not just Canada – are waking up to the fact that while the entertainment options expand, the truth may be that the shelf space for their own stories and culture is actually shrinking. That is why the Canadian government is investing in the Canadian production industry. That is why it is promoting the concept of a new international instrument designed to safeguard cultural diversity. …Are Canadian TV and movies worth the investment? Yes, because they bring jobs and expand opportunities. Yes, because they are knowledge intensive and key parts of the new economy. Yes, because Canadians should have a right to choose for themselves. And, yes because Canadian TV and movies are needed more than ever – to define us, to stake our place on the world stage and to ensure that we can hear our own voice amidst the noise of the global village.

Canadian TV, films must have a place in the globalized economy, says CFTPA president

News | 11/22/2002 5:00 am EST

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