‘An open book for any and all ideas’: Miller announces new audiovisual advisory group

Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller has unveiled an 11-member panel tasked with exploring how to update the government’s support for the country’s audiovisual sector, which could include merging some of Canada’s longest-standing cultural agencies. “We’re modernizing the system that supports the sector,” said Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) during an appearance at the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique’s annual conference on April 21. “This system was designed in another era, and it’s no longer adapted to today’s reality.” “That’s not a criticism, it’s a reality.” Among those named to the panel includes Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, who directed the 2016 feature Angry Inuk, National Screen Institute executive director Christine Klackener, as well as Prem Gill, CEO of the provincial agency Creative BC. As first reported by The Wire Report, one of the panel’s assignments will consider merging Telefilm, the Canada Media Fund, and the National Film Board, the latter of which has pushed back against the idea. “ looking at what other countries are doing,” said Miller in French. “We know it’s a fragile ecosystem.” “So, we’re asking experts, those on the panel, and others who might give insights.” Speaking to reporters, Miller emphasized the panel will not exclusively consider a prospective merger. “The reality is not to do an examination on one particular direction,” he said in response to a question from The Wire Report. “We know that a single agency is not a bad idea. Is it the only idea? Most likely not.” “ you wouldn’t have that number of people with their vast experience in the area simply to say ‘let’s make one agency and move on.’” In particular, Miller also said the panel would look at tax credits, how the industry is financed, as well as “who it supports.” “It’s a bit of an open slate and an open book for any and all ideas,” he added. The panel’s work will be conducted as part of a broader federal review into the sector, which was included in the Department of Canadian Heritage’s most recent annual plan. According to a press release, Canadian audiovisual exports have nearly doubled since 2017, and the sector contributed approximately $19 billion to the national GDP in 2024. A full list of the panel’s members is as follows: -- Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk filmmaker) -- Marcel Gallant (partner at Connexions Productions) -- Monique Simard (former president and CEO of the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles) -- Prem Gill (CEO of Creative BC) -- Roma Khanna (executive chair of Hidden Light Productions) -- Florence Girot (senior director at the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) -- Kyle Fostner (executive director of the Vancouver International Film Festival) -- Katerina Cizek (documentary director, co-founder of the Co Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab) -- Tamara Mariam Dawit (founder of Gobez Media) -- Jason Della Rocca (co-founder of Execution Labs) -- Christine Kleckner (executive director of the National Screen Institute) A federal press release noted that Catalina Briceno, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and Catherine Mathys, a lecturer at HEC Montréal, will “guide” the panel through deliberations. With files from Maria Collins. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

‘An open book for any and all ideas’: Miller announces new audiovisual advisory group

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By Davis Legree
|April 21, 2026

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‘An open book for any and all ideas’: Miller announces new audiovisual advisory group

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