Amidst separatist fervor in Quebec and Alberta, can the National Film Board help bring Canadians together?

Suzanne Guèvremont can’t go a single day without being reminded of the uphill battle she faces as commissioner of the National Film Board (NFB). Every time Guèvremont enters the NFB’s picturesque headquarters, situated in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, she must first walk past a bevy of posters featuring Victoria Piscina, who will be running in Westmount–Saint-Louis under the Parti Québécois in next month’s Quebec election. Piscina herself is of little relevance to Guèvremont’s mission. The affluent Montreal riding is expected to stay comfortably with the provincial Liberal Party — but the PQ remain favoured to win the overall election. As a result, these posters symbolize the challenging moment currently facing Guèvremont and the NFB — for two reasons. First, Piscina and her colleagues have adopted the sovereigntist platform of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the PQ’s referendum-promising leader, who has picked up the torch left by René Lévesque and Lucien Bouchard in the fight to recuse Quebec from the Canadian experiment. Secondly, the prospect of another referendum on Quebec independence is inherently antithetical to the NFB’s 87-year-old mandate. When the NFB, initially known as the National Film Commission, was created by W.L. Mackenzie King’s government in 1939, it was tasked with promoting films designed to “help Canadians in all parts of Canada to understand the ways of living and the problems of Canadians in other parts.” Every documentary, every short film, and every educational initiative is produced in the pursuit of Canadian unity. The NFB’s Oscar Awards (it counts 12) and all other accolades are, at least in theory, secondary to the goal of sharing Canadian stories. “Success is when we make a film that is embedded in a community and a story that has to be told,” Guèvremont said during an interview at NFB headquarters. “Maybe it will never go to the Oscars, but that doesn’t matter.” “It’s about Canadian films that talk to our Canadian culture, talk to our Canadian talent, talk to our potential, and who we are as a nation.” National Film Board commissioner Suzanne Guèvremont. Photograph courtesy of the National Film Board But who we are as a nation has become a somewhat open-ended question in recent months. In addition to a strong sovereigntist party in Quebec, separatist sentiment has reached new heights in the Prairies, where Alberta’s provincial government is set to hold a vote on a future referendum later this year. As the head of a government agency, the Montreal born-and-bred Guèvremont takes precautions not to offer political opinions — but there’s one issue she’s more than happy to address. “Of course it’s a concern,” she said. “We’re not here to take a position for one party or another, but we do take a position on Canadian unity.” In fact, Guèvremont told The Wire Report that the fragility of confederation is a common theme of the NFB’s current suite of projects, as she believes it’s incumbent upon the organization to capture this moment in time. “We see these movements, whether it’s in Alberta or Quebec, and we have a role to try to document it and understand what’s going on,” she said. “We are here to unite the country and make Canadians understand our similarities… and differences because it’s both similar and different from coast-to-coast.” Swimming among sharks Despite the admirable sentiment, a problem remains: if a NFB film plays in the woods and no one is around to watch it, does it really exist? Notwithstanding Guèvremont’s best efforts, the NFB is not a staple in Canadian movie nights. Public opinion research suggests more than 80 per cent of Canadian households actively subscribe to a streaming service, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV. In contrast, a 2021 poll found nearly 40 per cent of Canadians were completely unaware of the NFB or its suite of productions. The Wire Report asked for updated figures, but they were never provided. Guèvremont said it’s also particularly difficult for a government agency working off $78 million in taxpayer dollars to compete with multi-billion-dollar streaming companies that aren’t bound by a mandate to create unifying content. “It’s hard to get people to watch the films, and documentaries are even harder,” Guèvremont said. “But we don’t do feature fiction films that’s not our mandate.” “My dream is still to walk down the street and ask people between 18- and 32-years-old, ‘do you know an NFB film? Can we have a conversation about that?’” The commissioner has taken strides to attract more eyeballs by inking partnerships with BCE Inc.’s Crave streaming service and the public broadcaster’s CBC Gem and Tou.tv. Guèvremont also emphasized a recent push for people to ‘stream Canadian’ in response to the country’s ongoing trade war with the U.S., which she believes could buoy the NFB’s metrics. “If we have the opportunity to have one of our films on Crave or a platform that will elevate the content and make it even more accessible in a timely manner, we won’t say no to that,” she said. “We want those films to be discovered.” Guèvremont hoping to be re-appointed next year A federal study into government support for the audiovisual sector also looms over the NFB’s operations, as some filmmakers have expressed concern the film board could be merged with funding organizations like Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund. Earlier this year, Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) appointed a panel to examine the proposal, along with other ideas, despite continuing resistance from the NFB. Efforts to interview panel members were unsuccessful, as Ottawa asked them to sign non-disclosure agreements to participate in the group. Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller holds press conference in the National Press Theatre on June 10, 2026, to speak about the government’s new Safe Social Media Act. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade A message sent from the Department of Canadian Heritage informing the NFB of the audiovisual study, which was obtained by The Wire Report, described the film board as a “vital and respected cultural institution.” “As we move into the AV modernization initiative, we have a valuable opportunity to explore how the NFB can be positioned to play an even stronger role in advancing Canada’s cultural objectives and shaping a resilient, innovative audiovisual sector for the years ahead,” read the note. When asked about the message, Guèvremont described it as an “assurance” from Ottawa that the NFB’s mandate will not be touched. As for Guèvremont herself, the lawyer turned entertainment powerbroker has only one year remaining on her five-year term, but she’s hoping Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) — who she has yet to meet — might restart her shot clock. “This is an 86-year-old organization and it has a strong culture,” she said. “It has a very impressive expertise, so, with respect to that, change takes time.” “But, for sure, I would like to continue.” dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Amidst separatist fervor in Quebec and Alberta, can the National Film Board help bring Canadians together?

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By Davis Legree
|September 14, 2026

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Amidst separatist fervor in Quebec and Alberta, can the National Film Board help bring Canadians together?

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