Thank you, Chair, vice-chairs, and members of the committee. My name is Elliott Anderson, Director of Public Policy and Communications for ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. We'll call it ACTRA from here on.
We're a union representing more than 25,000 English-language performers living and working in every corner of the country.
With me is Laurie McAllister, who is Director of ACTRA's Performers' Rights Society, and also director of ACTRA's Recording Artists' Collecting Society. That's ACTRA PRS and ACTRA RACS.
ACTRA PRS collects and distributes residuals for performers in audiovisual productions—film and television—and ACTRA RACS collects royalties for artists and musicians on sound recordings. Laurie also serves on the board of SCAPR, which is an international coordinating body of 60 performer collective management organizations from 43 different countries, all working together to improve the exchange of data and performer rights payments across borders.
We appreciate this opportunity to speak with you.
The Copyright Act recognizes the inherent value of creative works. It is an important piece of legislation that has a material impact on performers and their ability to sustain a living and contribute to Canadian culture.
New technology has dramatically changed the way creative industries work, and the act needs to reflect the new economic reality our artists are operating in. While it's easier than ever to have your work seen and heard by people around the world, it's harder than ever to be properly compensated for that work. The digital shift has generated billions of dollars for multinational corporations who exploit creative works for huge profit, but the creative talent who generate those works are not always seeing the benefit. Despite the high profile of performers and recording artists, the reality for most is an incredible amount of hard work for a very modest return.
Laurie.