Please allow us to remind everyone why such independent productions are part and parcel of the Canadian broadcasting industry.
First of all, during the first three decades of television's development in the province of Quebec, there was almost a total vertical integration of production, programming and broadcast activities. The role of independent television production during this period was thus modest, indeed marginal. Secondly, let's recall the gridlock created by this model of vertical integration of production and broadcast activities, and the stark diagnosis delivered by two independent commissions that examined the situation in the early 1980s.
In essence, the latter observed an unwarranted concentration of creative and production decisions in the hands of a very few people, lacklustre innovation, creative fatigue and sclerosis, declining efficiency, productivity and competitiveness, limited input into the development of new talent and into the diversification of places to nurture conceptual, creative and production progress.
My presentation is a little long. I was really hoping that we could take a little more time to do this demonstration.
Certain policies led to the creation of various regulations compelling TV broadcasters to allocate a significant portion of their independent production programming. It can be said that the goals were to diversify the sources of creative thinking and innovation; stimulate healthy emulation between numerous production houses and thus boost quality and variety; offer more employment and opportunities for self-expression to a multitude of authors, rather than continue producing in-house with full-time staff. This made it possible to achieve the objectives and the major successes in francophone production in Quebec.
We may certainly affirm that most of these goals have been achieved and that Quebec's independent TV production has radically altered the Quebec television scene. In a universe where production and operating models are constantly evolving, the diversification of creative and production settings must continue. This goal transcends the interests of the independent production milieu and the workers who make a living there. The pursuit of such a goal is indispensable to the dynamism and competitiveness of the broadcasting system as a whole, of its capacity to make use of all kinds of local creative talent, in both major urban centres and from regional Canada, and to properly play its role as an intermediary between the creative expression of our authors, directors and creative artists designers and the expectations of TV viewers.