Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the bill to amend the Telefilm Canada Act. The bill that would clarify Telefilm's mandate and provides for the corporation to carry on its current activities in the audiovisual industries, specifically film, television, and new media.
Because the bill is far more significant than just a simple housekeeping bill, I would like to take a few moments to describe these activities in more detail and show how they translate very concretely in the cultural lives of Canadians. One could say that the bill is overdue, but that would be cynical and we should be glad that it is here and we are dealing with it today.
Telefilm programs support the development and production of approximately 45 Canadian feature films in English and French each year. In an extremely competitive theatrical market, many of these Canadian films have posted remarkable successes, both critically and at the box office throughout the decades. In the seventies, The Rowdyman , La mort d'un bucheron , Black Christmas , and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz all generated great reviews and returns on Telefilm's investments. More recently, Canadian films such as The Sweet Hereafter , The Red Violin , The Fast Runner , Les Boys , Hollywood/Bollywood , Séraphin , Mambo Italiano , and the Academy award winner Les Invasions barbares have confirmed an attentive and consistent audience at home for our films and raised our national share of the overall theatrical market to almost 5%, up from only 2% just a few years ago.
I know some members opposite are hoping for a feature on scallops and perhaps someone will come out of his or her shell and produce such a film.
In addition to fostering a national film industry of which we can all be proud, Telefilm has provided meaningful support to the television sector since the early 1980s. In recent years the crown corporation investments, through the Canadian television fund, have brought Canadians some of the most provocative and entertaining programming available anywhere, including Da Vinci's Inquest , Un gars, une fille , Road to Avonlea , Les Filles de Caleb , Million Dollar Babies , and North of 60 . I am sure that most members are familiar with, some more intimately than others, the irreplaceable This Hour Has 22 Minutes .
Another example many members will recognize is La Petite Vie . It was such a big hit that at one point more than half of all Quebeckers were tuning in to see it on a regular basis. More recently the miniseries Trudeau captivated record numbers of Canadians across the country, demonstrating just to what extent our own stories can bind this nation together. I know many members opposite really found that most enlightening.
Many of these television productions have won awards for their creators here in Canada, and some have even attracted audiences abroad. Da Vinci's Inquest , for example, is now broadcast in 45 countries on five continents. The format for Un gars, une fille has been sold and resold to 30 countries including Germany, France, Bulgaria, and Italy.
Telefilm has been involved in the new media sector since 1998. In addition to the new media content associated with television programming that are becoming more and more popular, such as Degrassi and The Toy Castle , Telefilm has supported the development and production of unique new film media content that Canadians and people the world over can access and enjoy, from interactive educational games such as Mia Mouse to databases full of facts about Canada and its diverse peoples.
In 1967, when Parliament created Telefilm Canada, Judy LaMarsh, then secretary of state, observed that, “Motion pictures are an important element in our cultural life. They should serve a national purpose and reinforce a Canadian identity”.
Technology has indeed evolved since 1967 and the activities of Telefilm Canada have kept pace with this evolution and has successfully ensured that more than just motion pictures serve a national purpose, and speak to our sense of identity.
The examples I have provided today should demonstrate just how important it is for the government to continue its support of audiovisual industries no matter how they evolve down the road. Simply stated, Telefilm is a cultural institution that encourages and promotes excellence. It has done so since 1967 and with this bill it will continue to do so.
I therefore ask the hon. members to support the motion to refer this bill to committee before second reading.