Canadian Actors' Equity Association. Response to: Canadian Content in a Digital World. Department of Canadian Heritage

Transcription

1 Canadian Actrs Equity Assciatin Respnse t: Canadian Cntent in a Digital Wrld Department f Canadian Heritage The enabling and supprt ing f ur art ist s and t he prt ect in f t heir space f pract ice are essent ial in t he creat in and sust enance f a t ruly funct ining sciet y. The healt h f it s cult ural space and pract it iners is reflect ive f t he qualit y f t heir hst sciet y. Excerpt frm speech by Irish President Michael D. Higgins at the Internatinal Federatin f Actrs Live Perfrmance Cnference Liberty Hall, Dublin - Thursday, 4 th June, 2015 Canadian Actrs' Equity Assciatin 44 Victria Street, 12th flr Trnt, ON M5C 3C4 tel: fax: cmmunicatins@caea.cm 1

2 In April 2016, the Minister f Canadian Heritage launched the first phase f a cnversatin n hw t strengthen the creatin, discvery and exprt f Canadian cntent in a digital wrld. The time has cme t build a framewrk fr hw the federal gvernment can best fster creativity and supprt Canadian culture by addressing the cncerns f citizens while respecting the rle f prfessinal artists. The fcus f this cnversatin remains n infrmatin and entertainment cntent as presented in televisin, radi, film, digital media and platfrms, vide games, music, bks, newspapers and magazines. That said, all creatrs, cultural stakehlders and citizens have a rle t play in the future f the creative ecnmy. In particular, the cnsultatins ffer the cultural cmmunity an pprtunity t advcate fr the reimagined and strengthened rle f the CBC in which live perfrmance can take centre stage in the husehlds f Canadian families. What fllws are sme pints related t the cre questins that the Ministry has develped as a result f the pre-cnsultatin prcess What des a cultural system that supprts creatrs and respects citizen chice lk like t yu? Canada has a unique and distinct culture that s wrth celebrating and helps define wh we are as Canadian citizens. Any cmprehensive digital strategy must incrprate the live perfrmance industry. This cultural system requires stable and sustainable supprt that allws Canadians t fluidly and affrdably access Canadian theatre, films, televisin, and music while fairly remunerating individual artists. By ding s, the Ministry will make the appreciatin, preservatin and supprt f culture a given in everyday life, valued in the same way Canadians regard scialized medicine and ther fundamental services. 2. Hw can we meet the challenge f prmting Canada s creativity in a digital wrld and hw can we use Canadian cntent t prmte a strng demcracy? In rder t use digital technlgy t cnnect Canada and the glbal ecnmy, key prductins at anchr rganizatins (e.g. The Stratfrd Festival, Canadian Opera Cmpany, Citadel Theatre, Ryal Winnipeg Ballet, etc.) need t be recrded in English, French and Native languages (when apprpriate). Funds need t be made available t rganizatins fr capital csts related t equipment and persnnel required t create the recrdings and/r bradcast the prductins. The CBC is the lgical partner in this initiative as the primary platfrm fr the disseminatin f bth simulcast and recrded perfrmances t primetime audiences. A further rle fr the CBC in nurturing an educated citizenry wuld be t prduce wrk that is critically engaging, bjective and far less cmmercially-riented such as: Lng-frm dramatic wrk News Dcumentaries Sprt Live and recrded perfrmances in theatre, dance and pera 2

3 The success f the Tragically Hip cncert that was bradcast via CBC in August 2016 was a visinary example f hw live perfrmance can galvanize a cuntry by targeting representative cntent that resnates with the ppulatin. Mre than 11 millin Canadians cnnected with the pwer f the perfrmance. In Equity s recent Pre-budget Submissin t the Standing Cmmittee n Finance, we put frward the idea that additinal funds t supprt initiatives cnnected t the creatin and disseminatin f new Canadian cntent via the CBC wuld cme frm: regulating new media internet service prviders (i.e. Netflix) thrugh the CRTC much like traditinal bradcasters. cllecting bth Value-Added Taxes (HST, PST and GST) as well as incme taxes frm these service prviders. insisting n cntributins f 5% f grss revenues frm new media internet service prviders devted t the develpment f Canadian cntent thrugh a third party administratr like the Canadian Media Fund. If the Ministry were t implement these recmmendatins, benefits t sciety wuld be reflected in: additinal wrk pprtunities fr Canadian artists. increased cnsumptin f Canadian cntent by the general ppulatin. a digital library f prductins that creates a legacy fr Canadian citizens. a strengthened understanding f Canadian values and identity. 3. Hw d we supprt Canada s artists, cntent creatrs and cultural entrepreneurs in rder t create a cultural ecsystem in which they thrive and that will benefit the grwth f ur middle class at hme, and help them reach beynd ur brders? As a majr engine f jb grwth fr the middle class the cultural sectr needs sustained funding. Canada s cultural industries accunt fr mre than 600,000 jbs and generate 3 percent f Canada s GDP, r $47.7billin a year. When we lk utside ur brders, culture needs t be reinstated as a pillar f internatinal diplmacy. Freign missins need t be sufficiently resurced s that they ffer a rbust platfrm fr appreciating Canadian cultural values (including demcracy) abrad. In terms f mre direct supprt fr live perfrmance, currently, there is insufficient funding fr turing t reach internatinal arts audiences this can be particular prblematic as sme prductins have cnsiderable turing csts (i.e.pera, ballet) assciated with them. 3

4 Summary The demand fr cultural cntent has never been as great as it is tday. Develping a smth cnsumer-friendly mdel fr accessing cntent that incrprates fair cmpensatin t artists needs t be a pririty fr the Ministry. Live perfrmances shuld be highlighted within the new framewrk with an understanding that digital technlgy can be harnessed t distribute carefully curated cntent that speaks t Canadians thrughut the far reaches f this vast cuntry. The CBC prvides the bvius distributin platfrm with funding derived frm the regulatin f internet-based media prviders. Culture is an ecnmic driver that als has a vital rle t play in prmting Canadian values internatinally. By engaging Canadians with mre critical cntent we create a mre discerning ppulatin that is better equipped t effectively participate in the demcratic prcess. At a time when demcratic institutins are being recnsidered and traditinal values threatened thrugh misinfrmatin, we need art s ability t filter ut the nise and prvide insight. Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, a pet by training, sums it up well in the fllwing qute. Cnflict, intlerance and extremism are n the rise in many regins f the wrld, ften based n abusive interpretatins f sacred texts. A shared understanding f the diversity and prcessinal nature f culture prvides the grund n which interactins between traditins can take place in peace and mutual regard. Culture can be a space f healing and a space f celebratin, but it can nly perfrm such a functin if it is treated as central t demcracy and citizenship and nt as a mere cmmdity f ecnmic surplus, nt as a palliative but rather as a cmpnent f life that is energising and emancipatry f the self and sciety. (Excerpt frm speech by Irish President Michael D. Higgins at the Internatinal Federatin f Actrs Live Perfrmance Cnference Liberty Hall, Dublin - Thursday, 4 th June, 2015) Abut Equity Canadian Actrs Equity Assciatin (Equity) is the vice f prfessinal artists wrking in live perfrmance in English Canada. We represent clse t 6,000 artists wrking in theatre, pera and dance frm cast-t-cast-t-cast. Our membership includes perfrmers (actrs, singers, dancers), directrs, chregraphers, fight directrs and stage managers. Equity is encuraged by many f the much-needed cultural investments that the Canadian Gvernment has cmmitted t in its mandate 4

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