Thank you, and good afternoon.
I am the president and CEO of the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec, the APFTQ. The association has been active for 40 years. It brings together some 140 independent film and television production companies. That is the majority of Quebec companies involved in production for all screens in both official languages.
The total volume of film and television production in Canada reached $5.5 billion in 2010-2011. In that same period, the industry was the direct or indirect source of 128,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Despite our success, the audiovisual industry requires stable funding that will allow it to meet the challenges of the new digital economy and to rebuild after the country’s economic slowdown. But the budgetary restrictions on the audiovisual industry, present and future, are affecting and will continue to affect our industry ever more negatively. The federal government must continue to invest in audiovisual production.
We represent an industry that is fragile and fragmented, even at a time when the trend is to convergence. Without increased support from the government, the presence and diversity of Canadian content will be evermore in jeopardy, both on traditional broadcast platforms and new digital platforms. Support must continue for productions created and produced in Canada, by Canadians and for Canadians so that Canadians can have better access to the productions in which we see ourselves. Here are the measures that we feel are vital for us to reach that point.
First, investment in the audiovisual support programs that are run by Canadian Heritage must be increased, not decreased. I am specifically referring to the programs of Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund.
Since its creation, Telefilm Canada’s Canada Feature Film Fund has provided the industry in Canada with the means necessary to produce quality feature films. But, for a number of years, the funding has not kept up with the need. The success of the feature film sector, and of all the jobs it creates, depends on increased government support. In addition, the Canada Media Fund must remain permanent, because it succeeded in meeting government objectives very well. Maintaining the fund, including a return to a strong television component, will allow television production to benefit from full funding; those productions remain the most appreciated by Canadian viewers who can watch them on the screens of their choice.
A recent study by a Université de Montréal research group on youth and the media demonstrated the importance and value that Canadian families continue to place in television and the unwavering role that it continues to play in their homes. But funding must also be increased so that all content can be made available digitally. We will return to this a little later in the context of our fourth recommendation.
Second, the rules of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit must be changed to allow labour costs associated with the production of digital film or television content. It is still difficult to fund them adequately because few existing business models are viable and few funding programs are in tune with this new reality. This measure will encourage the production of content of even greater quality. It will thereby allow the government to meet its objective of being a world leader in the new digital economy.
Third, Canada’s policy on international co-productions must be completed and implemented. Adequate investment must be made in the area. The creation of a fund specifically for co-production would allow the business model to start again and to reach the point where Canada is signing treaties with some countries and renegotiating them with others. The international co-production business model must be revived; because of it, foreign capital is injected into our homegrown productions and into Canada’s economy, while enabling our culture to be showcased elsewhere in the world.