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DAILY NEWS
Oct 8, 2008 1:22 PM
Arts and Culture Rally Says Industry Worth Billions
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Arts and culture workers joined together to condemn cuts to arts funding and to criticize attempts to censor film and TV productions at a rally held outside the headquarters of the CBC in Toronto.
Organized by ACTRA and the Writer's Guild, presentations from television and film actors, writers, dancers and other arts organization representatives called on political leaders to start taking Canada's cultural industry seriously.
Speakers noted the arts contribute $85 billion dollars and one million jobs to the Canadian economy each year.
Richard Hardacre, president, ACTRA National, told the crowd that "petty-minded cuts" that the minority government made just prior to calling this expensive election were to training programs for artists and new filmmakers, to the promotion of our creative artists abroad and to encouraging new media production and not red-carpet-galas.
Hardacre said it is "shocking" that someone in high public office does not account for the gigantic economic contribution that cultural industries provide to Canada's Gross National Product, again citing Conference Board of Canada statistics that show the cultural industries in Canada account for over 1.1 million jobs and economic activity exceeding $85 billion annually.
Actor Joan Gregson (Anne of Green Gables, Shades of Black:The Conrad Black Story), one of hundreds of artists, performers and culture industry craftspersons gathered for the event, held up a sign underscoring the fact that 'Show Business is Canadian Business.' She said that fact needs to be more widely recognized, by politicians and the public alike. "That's one reason we've gathered here today," she said.
The Writer's Guild described similar reasons for the event, saying that pre-election cutting to culture by the sitting minority government as stealthful and damaging, running to a total of over $60 million.
It says recent cuts include the Canada New Media Fund ($14.5M), PromArt ($4.7M), Trade Routes ($9M), Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund ($1.5M), National Training Program for the Film & Video Sector ($2.5M), A-V Preservation Trust ($150K), Canadian Arts & Heritage Sustainability Program Capacity (cut $1.8M), Canadian Memory Fund ($11.57M), Canadian Culture Online ($5.64M) and more.
Noted, too, are important arts and culture initiatives yet to come such as the CRTC's upcoming look at New Media. Following hearings scheduled for February 2009, the CRTC will decide ways and extent to which new media broadcasting will support the Canadian broadcasting system with original Canadian new media content.
Likewise, beginning in 2009, conventional broadcasters, the CBC and the pay/specialty broadcasters will apply to the CRTC for licence reviews and renewals.
Broadcasters are expected to cite their previous contributions and set out future commitments to Canadian broadcasting.
