Canadian Heritage committee  Thanks for the question. Yes, other countries have taken a look at this question and have tried to adapt and bring in some flexibility in terms of taking a look at it. We talk about the antiquated systems of the Broadcasting Act. Well, the definition of Canadian content is equall

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. IATSE is the largest union in the entertainment industry, representing 32,000 Canadian creatives and technicians across film, television and live performance, with another 10,000 creatives working under our agreements as they learn and acquire the skills and certifica

Canadian Heritage committee  It's part of a broader conversation because many people who work in this industry fall within the cracks of a lot of government programs such as EI. I know the government is looking at EI reform, and we really have to take a good look at that in terms of how it impacts gig worker

Canadian Heritage committee  No, I agree. Employers make major investments in this industry, and it's a risky industry at the best of times. There has to be some form of insurance to provide some necessary support. May I just say, too, that the federal government has been largely carrying the water on this,

Canadian Heritage committee  At the time it happened, we could see the light. We could see the industry returning, but then soon thereafter it just came crumbling down. Then without that safety net, it was devastating. I've been doing this for a long time, and I have never seen that amount of despair. When

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you for the question. It's been a bit of a strange year for the IATSE because, as everyone has said, there is going to be a real issue with retaining crew. I can tell you we were doing okay until the fall of 2021. Things were starting to reopen a little bit. There was a se

Canadian Heritage committee  The more telling question is whether we are prepared to make the necessary financial investments to ensure a stable industry. Thank you for your time.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. I was going to allow the previous speaker.... He was applauding the compliments of the IA, and I think we should allow that. Thank you for the time to be here today. I'm here on behalf of the IATSE, which is the largest union in the entertainment industry, represent

Finance committee  Perhaps I'll take that question. Arden, please feel free to join in. The federal government and all provincial governments have some funding formula for most arts organizations through the Canada Council for the Arts, and there are similar provincial agencies. In addition to tha

Finance committee  I think it's crucially important. Many years ago a prominent left-wing politician, Hugh Segal, talked at my university about a universal basic income. I think the time has come to relook at that. I think it addresses issues for people working in the arts, because there's always

Finance committee  We are seeing a fundamental change in viewing habits around the world. The growth of audiovisual streaming services is not going to change any time soon. We are close in proximity. We are a friendly place for large U.S. studios to go. One thing that was holding us back was not h

Finance committee  Absolutely.

Finance committee  I live in the riding next to yours, and yes, we do have many Toronto members. Technology is changing rapidly in the industry, in theatre and motion picture and television, and the ability to stay on top of that is crucial. We're growing so exponentially. The industry is growing b

Finance committee  Thank you. I'm speaking on behalf of the IATSE, which is the largest union in the entertainment industry, representing over 150,000 technicians across North America, including 26,000 in Canada. Our members work in both the film and television and live performance sectors. We ar

Industry committee  Speaking for the IA, yes. We're looking for an objective third party in whom the industry and the population of our country would have confidence that it would look at it in a fair, impartial way.