From screen quotas to a Quebec CRTC: How the political parties measure up on cultural promises

They won't win this election - in fact it's doubtful they'll even win a single seat - but the Green Party is proposing to shake up the status quo when it comes to political appointments, screen quotas, copyright protection and freeing up the airwaves. Tech Media Reports also examines the platforms of the other political parties, including the Conservative Party's decision to scrap the controversial censorship provisions in Bill C-10.Last week, TMR looked at how the NDP, if elected, would redefine the CRTC's mandate and strengthen film and television production in Canada. A review of the other party's platforms reveals a mixed bag of cultural goodies designed to strengthen the cultural and broadcasting sectors.The Greens, fully aware they have no chance of forming a government, can afford to table proposals many may view as too interventionist. Among them is a pledge to enact legislation that requires cinemas and video chains to have at least 20% Canadian content.The idea of screen quotes has been floated before, and has the support of groups such as ACTRA. However most major industry associations adamantly opposed the idea, arguing such artificial manipulation will not change consumer behaviour and do not guarantee box office success. The solution, they counter, is to make more and better films that Canadians want to see, and to market them more effectively.Several countries, including Spain, France and the UK, have adopted such measures. In Spain, for example, screens must show one domestic film for every three foreign ones. Such a move by Canada, however, would likely be challenged by the US under NAFTA.The Greens also want to scrap political appointments to cultural institutions and agencies that fall under federal jurisdiction, including the CRTC, CBC and Telefilm Canada. Its platform says agency heads should be appointed "by an arm's length committee made up of competent people representative of the various diverse stakeholders in Canadian society."The Conservative Party platform, released Tuesday, doesn't go as far as the Greens but does pledge to finally appoint members to the Public Appointments Commission. The commission was shelved by the Prime Minister after opposition MPs rejected his initial choice of chair. The commission is supposed to oversee the selection process for appointments to federal agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations.The Tories also say they would pass regulations that require the CRTC chair to alternate between English-speaking and French-speaking appointees, a practice that most Prime Ministers have already followed. Harper says his party would also ensure that one of the two vice-chairs will be from each official language group, and that at least 25% of CRTC commissioners will be French-language speakers, appointed in consultation with Quebec and groups representing linguistic minorities. Hearings related to French language or Quebec broadcasters would be heard by panels consisting of a majority of French-language or Quebec CRTC members - again, not much different than current practice.As well, the Conservatives commit to establishing a task force within one year to look at reducing federal appointments by 10% overall.On the issue of reforming the CRTC, the Bloc Québécois says it will retable a private member's bill that would allow Quebec to regulate telecommunications within the province. The proposed Quebec radio-television council, the CQRT, would decide which stations could broadcast in Quebec and draft regulations to protect Quebec culture.The Green's wade into the issue of greater public use of publicly owned bandwidth, saying the CRTC should reserve more bandwidth for independent and non-profit stations. It floated the same idea in its 2006 platform.Virtually all parties support the Heritage Committee report on the CBC/Radio Canada, which recommended stable, long-term funding for the public broadcaster. The Tory platform doesn't address the issue directly, except to say that the government has "renewed $60 million in additional funding in each of the last two years for the CBC."Not everyone agrees, however, on the CRTC recommendation to the minister of Canadian Heritage that the $288-million Canadian Television Fund be split into two streams - one for commercial programs paid for by private broadcasters and a second supported by government for culturally significant programming.The idea is opposed by both the NDP and the Bloc, with the NDP platform describing it as "a backward step that will give the cable and satellite giants unfair control over a fund that should be used for developing creative and original content." Meanwhile, the Bloc says it wants the CBC to continue to receive 37% of CTF funding. The Liberals support long-term funding for the CTF and say they will "look at ways to improve the fund", recognizing the criticisms over a two-stream approach.Support for homegrown contentThe Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc all support increased or new funding for certain types of programming. A Liberal government would develop and launch a $25-million Canadian Digital Media Strategy aimed at training skilled workers, and increase the video tax credits by 30% to $160 million.The big news from the Conservatives this week is that they will scrap clauses in Bill C-10 that would deny federal tax credits to film and television projects deemed "offensive" or not in the public interest. The decision was applauded by artists and producers who described it as an attack on Canada's film industry.In terms of new cultural initiatives, the Conservatives are pledging $25 million over five years to TV5 to development programming and partnerships, enhance technological platforms, increase Canadian content on the global network from 6-9% and ensure senior management includes French-language Canadians.The Blocs are committing $20 million in new funding for Quebec-based film productions, the creation of a Quebec documentary film fund and a tax credit for Quebec films made outside of major urban areas of the province.Copyright reformCopyright reform was on the agendas of all political parties. The Conservatives pledge to reintroduce controversial copyright legislation that has been criticized as unfair by consumer advocates, artists, privacy watchdogs and other groups. Compared by some as the equivalent to the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist has argued that Bill C-61 will "create real harm to education, libraries, privacy, security research, freedom of speech and Canadian consumers". However, the bill is strongly supported by several music, film and software associations, including the Canadian Independent Record Production Association which hails it as a first step towards protecting the record industry from piracy.Both the Liberals and the NDP say they would hold extensive consultations with stakeholders before proposing any legislative amendments. The NDP also propose a $20,000 annual tax exemption for income earned from copyright and residuals.The Bloc platform calls for immediate changes to the Copyright Act - done in consultation with the provinces - that take into account the impact of new technologies, stressing the new to balance the need of rights owners to be paid, and the rights of consumers to use their work.The Greens, meanwhile, want to establish a copyright registry that would track and protect copyrights, and replace the levy on blank audio recording media with private copyright exemptions. They would also pass legislation granting common carriers status to ISPs, which would prohibit them from discriminating on a content basis while freeing them from liability for content transmitted through their systems. As well, the party pledges to renounce Crown copyright on all government-produced documents and release them into the public domain, as well as oppose ratification of the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty.The Canadian Association of Broadcasters has prepared a helpful comparison grid of all the major political parties that provides a quick snapshot on where each one stands on the various arts and culture issues.

From screen quotas to a Quebec CRTC: How the political parties measure up on cultural promises

News | 10/09/2008 5:44 pm EDT

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