Mr. Speaker, today is the first-ever Canadian Film Day, celebrating Canadian films on all screens big and small. The timing of the inaugural Canadian Film Day is perfect, as it was announced recently that six Canadian films have been selected to compete at the prestigious 2014 Cannes Film Festival. This an historic milestone worth celebrating.
Our government is very proud of our talented filmmakers. We invest more than $600 million annually in the audiovisual sector through Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board, the Canada Media Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, and tax credit programs. We support the Canadian audiovisual sector because we know how much it contributes to our communities and economies. In 2012-13, film and television production in Canada generated $5.8 billion to the Canadian economy and approximately 130,000 jobs.
I invite my hon. colleagues to join me in saluting Canada's wonderful audiovisual talent today and every day.