Thank you very much.
My presentation this afternoon will, in fact, be a summary of the brief that we provided today, in both French and English, I believe. It is a short summary outlining our main points.
The INIS is a professional training centre that contributes to the development of the film, television and interactive media community in Quebec and Canada, by providing access to training programs for both individuals and businesses that respond to the demands and changes occurring in the audiovisual, communications and entertainment markets. Since its beginnings in January 1996, the INIS has trained some 381 professionals who work as screenwriters, directors and producers. The most recent surveys conducted by the INIS confirm that nearly 80 per cent of graduates are in positions directly related to the training they received—often in key positions. In addition to these graduates from the regular programs, there are several thousand professionals who have come to the INIS to upgrade their skills in the short and medium term.
The INIS is the only French-language institution of its kind in Canada. It belongs to a network of four training centres, including the CFC in Toronto, the NSI in Winnipeg and the CSTC in Ottawa. Since 1994, the federal government has provided grants of almost $14 million dollars to the INIS to help it carry out its mission. However, on Friday, August 8, 2008, the INIS was informed that the National Training Program for the Film and Video Sector, funded by Canadian Heritage and administered by Telefilm Canada, would not be extended beyond April 1, 2009. This decision followed on the heels of an evaluation which did not actually recommend that the program be cancelled. We are still unaware of the specific reasons for its cancellation, but its impact on the INIS is quite clear. For the Institute, the cancellation of this program will mean the loss of approximately $900,000 annually, or almost 25 per cent of its operating budget.
In addition, if the INIS is no longer able to access the Canada New Media Fund, another program funded by Canadian Heritage, the shortfall in its operating budget stemming from the loss of the federal contribution will exceed $1 million. The Institute's funding structure is based on money received from both levels of government, and on contributions of both money and services from private enterprise. Since 1994, the share of government funding has been constantly decreasing. Indeed, it went from more than 90 per cent in 1994-1995 to 53 p. 100 in the current fiscal year, 2008-2009—in other words, we have achieved a near perfect balance between public and private sources of funding.
However, being deprived of as significant an amount of funding as $1 million per year, the INIS loses one of the main levers allowing it to seek financial contributions from private companies and support through services offered on a “two-for-one” or “three-for-one” basis, for every dollar paid. The consequences of cancelling the program therefore include a decrease in independent revenues and the underfunding of the Institute, to the tune of some $2 million in money and services. In concrete terms, the cancellation of the program compromises the very existence of the Institute. Were the INIS to close, we would be looking at the permanent loss of exceptional expertise that has been built up over a 13-year period and to which, it should be pointed out, the federal government has contributed some $14 million. The closure of the Institute would also mean there would no longer be trained professional graduates able to successfully move into professional circles.
A simple solution to the problem caused by the cancellation of the National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector would be to immediately include the INIS in the National Arts Training Program. If the National Arts Training Program does not appear to be the appropriate solution, in the opinion of the federal government, it is urgent that the latter provide a clear response regarding its short- and long-term intentions for professional training in the film, television and interactive media sectors. The survival of a unique institution with a long track record is at stake.
I would now like to turn it over to Jacques Blain, who is a producer, and who can speak from experience about the Institute's positive impact on professional activities in the film and television sectors.
Thank you.