Mr. Chairman, committee members, thank you for inviting us to appear before you today.
Mr. Chair, in closing, we in the TCS believe that there is no question that the growth of the entertainment software industry has helped to invigorate the economy economic health and dynamism of communities across the country, injected thousands of professional and high-paying jobs into local communities, and raised Canada's profile as a significant force in the gaming industry.
Our comments today will be focused on the CMF's role in the industry and how we currently support it, including a description of a few examples of successful projects we've funded to date.
The CMF's mandate is to champion the creation and promotion of successful, innovative Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging digital platforms. We do this, first and foremost, through our funding programs. With the continued support of our funding contributors, the Government of Canada and Canada's cable and satellite distributors, the CMF was able to contribute $358 million to Canadian television and digital media projects in 2011–12, triggering no less than $1.3 billion of industry activity across the country.
As such, we are pleased to be playing a pivotal role in supporting the growth and evolution of an industry that is an integral part of Canada's digital economy.