In my opinion, those gaps, which are in the range of 90% and 10% for fictional feature films at Telefilm Canada and 63% and 37% at CBC/Radio-Canada, all genres included, and for all members of Réalisatrices équitables, these figures are unjustifiable in 2007, in a sector that is 100% subsidized by the government. We haven't noted everything, but these figures, among many others, confirm that the existing systems are highly unfavourable to women and result in unequal incomes for women directors, not to mention the unequal representation of women's imagination on the screen. I entirely agree with regard to cultural diversity, but it is also essential that we think about half of the population.
The figures in Table A were compiled from the spring 2007 programming schedule. As you can see, the CBC/Radio-Canada is far from giving women directors the same amount of room as male directors. In addition, most women directors are confined to magazines. There are virtually no women in the drama sector: 1.5%.
Some will tell us that a number of women screenwriters often see their fictional works put on the screen. That's true. We might be pleased about that if we didn't see that the vast majority of screenplays written by women are directed by men, whereas the reverse is not true.
The director's trade is poorly known, and it is just as essential to the creation of a work as its writing. It isn't just the story that is different, but also the treatment, the viewpoint, the approach and the 1,000 artistic choices that that entails.
Of course, the CBC/Radio-Canada is not solely responsible for the present situation of half the population and of women filmmakers, but it has a very great influence and is part of a set of systems that do not favour women, even in everything that is done and funded by other bodies in “private industry”. We put the words “private industry” in quotation marks because, in a way, that industry is virtually non-existent in Canada, being subsidized in one way or another by the taxes of all of us, that is 50% or more by women.
In Table B, you see the gap between the amounts invested by Telefilm Canada and SODEC in Quebec in projects by men and women directors. Why does our national broadcaster have such a decisive role in these figures? Because, under the rules laid down by the Canadian industry, television, by the purchase or pre-purchase of licences, determines the projects that will be produced and the people who will produce them. Television also very often dictates production budgets, because they are calculated based on the licence granted by the broadcaster. Radio-Canada is thus part of the decision-making process that judges and gives its approval to the production of a large number of so-called “private” projects. It is also its managers and staff who discuss the orientations of the projects and target audiences that will be favoured. All those decisions are clearly decisive in the choice of programs, films, series and documentaries produced in Quebec, even for projects financed mainly by other bodies. In particular, the CBC/Radio-Canada manages nearly 40% of the Canadian Television Fund's budget.
The current imbalance does not just harm women who have decided to choose direction as an occupation. The impoverishment of content, lack of diversity of viewpoints and the shrinking of imagination have obviously had an impact on society as a whole. In 2005, a group of women actors stated that claiming a greater place for women in the collective imagination was an essential battle for the democratic and economic survival of our society. We agree. The battle of the imagination is just as important as the battle for wages and support for families.
We also believe that the inadequate place granted to women on our screens and behind the camera does much to influence the perceptions of the public, who tend to believe that women are less important than men in our society. The stories and concerns broadcast on television are models for all young Canadians, girls and boys. For everyone, but particularly for our children, we must build a national television that fairly represents society as a whole. It must give as much space to the girls and women of this country as it does to its boys and men. According to a recent survey conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies, 94% of Canadians said that gender equality was one of their priorities. In fact, in the minds of Canadians, gender equality is the second most important value, immediately after health. For Quebeckers, it apparently ranks first, even before health.
The shortcomings. After what we've just revealed, we believe that the CBC/Radio-Canada is failing to meet a number of its statutory obligations.
Paragraph (ii): the CBC/Radio-Canada does not reflect Canada, since 51% of the population is under-represented.
Paragraph (iii): the CBC/Radio-Canada does not contribute actively enough to the flow and exchange of cultural expression. Gender diversity, in our view, is essential.
Paragraph (vi): the CBC/Radio-Canada does not contribute adequately to shared national consciousness and identity, since equal rights for men and women are a core element of Canada's national identity. We already knew that, but that was confirmed in a poll the results of which appeared this month.
In a concern for fairness toward all women and to address a public priority, we recommend the following amendments to paragraphs (v) and (viii), which should read as follows:
(v) strive to be of equivalent quality in English and in French and to achieve balanced funding for, and broadcasting of, work by men and by women;
(viii) reflect the multicultural and multiracial character of Canada, also taking into account the equity between men and women in this country.
Concrete measures. In order to quickly correct the present imbalance, bolstering of the mandate's principles should go hand in hand with concrete measures. We suggest that the CBC/Radio-Canada urgently adopt incentives that openly promote the achievements of women in all production sectors where women directors are under-represented, particularly for dramatic series and fictional feature films, where they are even scarcer.
Rules requiring real representation of women's imagination would not hurt freedom of expression, so dear to some, or diminish the quality of products on the small screen. On the contrary, we would find ourselves with even more diversity and a real plurality of perspectives and talents.
As was the case in 1991, when the Broadcasting Act was amended to request that a larger share of productions be done by the private sector, and we witnessed an explosion in the number of production companies and independent producers, we think that incentives such as including in the act an obligation to call on more women directors in all sectors will result in an explosion of female expression and talent. In addition to having a positive impact on the industry as a whole, that will benefit the entire population, of all ages, origins and languages.
We are convinced that an equitable presence of women's viewpoints, stories, concerns, backgrounds and roles on television would be a tremendous stimulant for a society that wants to encourage equality of opportunity in all areas of human endeavour. Society has everything to gain from promoting women's imagination as much as that of men. All Canadians would benefit from having a national broadcaster that showed equity leadership.
In closing, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, it is definitely important to discuss new technologies and funding for the CBC/Radio-Canada, but we believe that it is even more urgent to examine this significant imbalance, which has only been aggravated in the past 20 years, believe it or not. This concerns us in our capacity as directors, but also affects us, like the majority of the population of Quebec and Canada, as spectators and citizens.
On a personal note, I would add that this also concerns me as a mother of twins, a boy and a girl 10 years of age. I hope that, in 20 years, they will see Canadian society representing them equitably and offering them both the same opportunities.
Thank you very much for your attention.