Thank you very much.
Evidence of meeting #24 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fund.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #24 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fund.
A recording is available from Parliament.
November 22nd, 2006 / 4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your testimony to us this afternoon.
I just wanted to talk to you a little bit. You've talked about the fact that the federal government is not your only funding source. I'm just wondering if you could tell me a little bit about the types of people who are investing or giving money or contributing money to the fund. I'm wondering if you could fill me in on what motivates people and what types of people are giving funds.
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
At this point in time, we only have Star Choice Communications involved. There is a requirement by the CRTC for distributors, BDUs, to put out a certain amount of money for the creation of Canadian content. Star Choice decided a number of years ago to put their money with us. They are the only private sector company at the moment.
Before that, we had Stentor. Do you know Stentor? It was an amalgamation of the telephone companies. We ran for them the Stentor New Media Fund.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Can you tell me what Star Choice contributes to the fund right now on an annual basis?
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
I can, yes. It started out at about $800,000. There was a problem with small markets across Canada, which felt that they were being detrimentally affected by the introduction of satellite. These small markets appealed to the CRTC, and the CRTC made the decision, not only for Star Choice but for Bell, to put up some money to compensate these small markets. Unfortunately, that money came from us and also from another private fund.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Comparing the amount of $800,000--which is the only other contributor at this point--to the past number of years, have we seen a decline in the contribution amount from the private sector, and what has that looked like in the last number of years?
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
I used to ambulance chase quite a bit when we first started out, before we got the contributions agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage, for which we are very grateful, I have to say. But before that, we didn't have multi-year funding. So I did a lot of ambulance chasing, which meant that I would look at the papers and read the CRTC website to see what was being bought and sold, because each time, as you know, there was a tangible benefits package, and that was up for grabs. I would make applications to them to try to get money. That's how we got the Stentor New Media Fund. That's how we got the Fundy Communications fund, which has since been bought and no longer exists. And that's how we got the Star Choice money.
Sorry, what was the–?
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
You've indicated there has been a decline from the private sector. I'm wondering what the numbers looked liked last year, the year before that, and the year before that. The federal government has not been consistent in their contribution, but you've known on an annual basis.
I'm wondering what the other part of the picture looks like.
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
For Star Choice, two years ago they reduced it from $800,000 to $100,000, and each year they review their contribution to us.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Okay, let's look back four years. What was the contribution?
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
It was $800,000.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
That's correct.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Have you ever been over the $800,000 threshold on an annual basis from any other type of investment?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
So you've seen a decline of $700,000. Is there any reason that the private sector isn't investing, why we're not seeing other groups coming to the fund and suggesting...?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
The largest one is that the CRTC now allows the company that is making a transaction to administer their own production fund. We've been certified as an independent production fund by the CRTC. Several years ago, when a company would buy or sell and there was a tangible benefits package in play, they would have to put that money out into an independent production fund.
The rules have changed and they don't have to do that. For example, with Bell and CTV, they now administer their own tangible benefits package in-house, so that didn't have to go outside.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Just so that I can understand, because we have to look at the larger picture, in terms of the folks who are trying to get their productions funded right now, they're able to go to you, and now they're able to go to these other guys to get money from the funds they've created?
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
Well, it depends on the genre.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
I guess what I'm wondering is whether in the marketplace there is still the same amount of money as there was several years back when the contribution was being flowed through your organization.
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund
There is money; there is probably the same amount. But they determine what kind of genre it will go into. Before, when it came to us, it automatically went into educational-informational. CTV doesn't put all that money into educational-informational projects. It goes into drama. Some of it goes into performing arts. I don't know the breakdown, but they determine what it's going to go into.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
So for our committee, as we don't have a significant amount of influence on the CRTC, would you like the rules changed back, or would you like these private organizations to have a little bit more criteria to ensure that the funds go towards the type of programming that you have provided for in the past?
