Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Claire Samson. I am the President and CEO of the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec. With me today is Brigitte Doucet, Deputy General Director.
For 40 years now, the APFTQ has been the umbrella organization for over 140 production companies working in both official languages and in all sectors of audiovisual production in Quebec. I would remind the committee that the total volume of film and television production in Canada in 2008-09 was worth $5 billion. During that same time period, the sector provided 122,400 direct and indirect full-time equivalent jobs.
Despite this success, the audiovisual industry requires stable funding in order to be able to meet the challenges of the new digital economy and grow again following the country's economic downturn. We represent a fragile, fragmented industry at a time when the trend is towards convergence. Without additional support from the government, the presence and diversity of Canadian content are at risk, and this applies to both traditional and digital distribution platforms. We need to make it easier for Canadians to access productions that have been created and produced in Canada—by Canadians, for Canadians—that is, productions that we can identify with.
We believe that the following measures are absolutely crucial.