Reinstate cut money to CTF, industry pleads

Elizabeth McDonald, president and CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), chaired a media conference denouncing the cuts to the Canadian Television Fund on April 15. During a question and answer session that followed an official presentation, there were no concrete suggestions as to where the money that is being demanded be reinstated to the CTF should come from. McDonald said it shouldn’t be taken away from the increased tax credits for foreign location shooting in Canada – for which the CFTPA and others have lobbied. Below is an edited excert of the media conference. McDonald: …You don’t often find all the different players in the television industry in agreement, but today we are. We have been devastated by the Canadian Television Fund’s rejection letters that went out yesterday. Sixty-two per cent of the fund’s applicants were turned down in English Canada; 68% were turned down in Quebec…The reason for this demise is simple. The federal government’s $25-million cut to the Canadian Television Fund in February has meant a potential loss of 550 hours of Canadian programming. This leaves holes in broadcasters’ schedules. It has put jobs and businesses on the line. The television industry generates over $4 billion in production activity a year and it employs 53,000 people. Keep in mind over 18,000 of those jobs are the result of the Canadian Television Fund. Next year, clearly the story will be a lot different. Before we go any further, we have a message via video from performer Paul Gross. Question: If the $25 million isn’t restored, or not restored sufficiently, what other options are on the table to make things as good as they can be? Ira Levy (Breakthrough Films and Television executive producer): Well, I think that for a lot of the Canadian content shows, there really are no other options. It’s a very difficult market in the international market to get pre-sales on drama and on children’s projects. So unfortunately, in many cases, a lot of the shows that don’t make the cut with the CTF will just fall by the wayside. Perhaps they’ll try again next year. That’s probably the best they could hope for, but that’s how difficult the market is right now. David Wellington (director, The Eleventh Hour and I Love a Man in a Uniform): I would say that Canadian shows, that there’s some sort of private-public partnership available. I think that’s a little bit of the attitude of the government. The economics of Canadian film business don’t exist and government needs to understand that and make a decision. Does it want to have a Canadian face on Canadian television and films or not? What this government seems to be saying is that it doesn’t want that to exist. That’s what I’m reading from it. There are no options. The system has been terribly broken. It needs to be fixed immediately. It’s the only option. Question: …Obviously, you’ve mentioned that foreign production here in Canada is important. If there is an immediate solution to perhaps take that $25 million away from the foreign (production)…? So would you still support foreign tax relief, or whatever, for internationally(-produced shows)? McDonald: In fact, it is a little bit bigger than that small envelope you refer to, and I think putting more people out of work is not the solution to this problem. And I think – Peter was very clear that it’s important to the members of ACTRA, to the Directors Guild, to producers with our association. People are going to have to change their business plans depending on how many Americans are willing to come up here and do work. It is also a very risky business...The solution is to restore the $25 million without picking another pocket in the cultural industry. Michael Donovan (Executive producer – Salter Street, This Hour has 22 Minutes): Yes, it is a peculiar coincidence, but the $25 million went to the MOW, the American MOW, or $22 million, and $25 million was taken from us. Has that been a pure coincidence? The government is saying oh, it’s just a coincidence. And so when you think about it, $25 million represents a fraction, US$15 million, a fraction of the pay package of any one of the studio bosses in the United States. I don’t know why they need it, exactly.

Reinstate cut money to CTF, industry pleads

Broadcast | April 25, 2003

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