Canadian Heritage committee  I think we should not mix up what the CRTC is going to do and what the working group could do. I don't know what the CRTC is going to do, but if I understood correctly, it is really going to examine all of the technological and audiovisual content. Cinema is not disembodied and cut off from all of the other contents or other genres.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, among other things, but our priority is surely the funding of productions and their marketing. I agree with Ms. Simard; the films have to be seen and we have to have the resources to promote them. There is something quite astounding that we see in this industry. You can have the best film in the world, but if the weather is too nice outside during the weekend of the premiere, it will not do well and it will be withdrawn.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes.

Canadian Heritage committee  First of all, we have to pay tribute to the work Telefilm Canada has done in the past few years regarding both development and production. The people in that institution put a great deal of work into their projects. They tried to adapt to a reality that is moving at a maddening pace.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'm going to ask Ms. Doucet, who is a tax credit specialist, to reply to your question.

Canadian Heritage committee  With your permission I will answer that question, Mr. Dion. First of all, I would be remiss if I did not point out two things. Concerning the tax credit, I spoke about increasing effectiveness thanks to the 75% you have just spoken about. However, I forgot a very important point.

Canadian Heritage committee  Canadian Heritage tried very hard to find parameters to measure viewership across all of the platforms. It is a complex task because the information providers are very diverse. However, several of them fall under the CRTC's purview, which helps the department have access to data before preparing its annual report.

Canadian Heritage committee  If I understand your question correctly, you're asking whether the availability of products on digital platforms makes them more accessible to Canadians.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think we are taking advantage. But I also think we can work with task forces to re-examine movie theatre viewing—the role of conventional distribution in movie theatres versus distribution via other platforms—funding sources and so forth. Right now, we're partnering with Telefilm Canada on a few pilot projects.

Canadian Heritage committee  In our brief, we talk about the fact that the methods people use to consume cinematographic products have changed, both in Quebec and in the rest of the country. People go to the movie theatre much less than they used to; movie viewing is much more concentrated on conventional TV, pay TV, specialty TV and video on demand platforms.

Canadian Heritage committee  Since 2006, our costs have gone up and the production budgets of our foreign competitors have skyrocketed. With more funding at its disposal, Telefilm Canada would be better equipped to fund Canadian film production. We firmly believe that the roughly $10 million cut from Telefilm Canada's budget should be restored.

Canadian Heritage committee  Mr. Chair, members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, thank you for inviting the Association québécoise de la production médiatique, or AQPM, to take part in your review of the Canadian feature film industry. My name is Marie Collin, and I am the president and CEO of the AQPM.