What I said to the CRTC

So rather than submit an electronic intervention I actually mailed a hard copy. I figure it takes more effort to physically throw something out than it does to hit the delete key. Though I guess they may have just installed a nice big paper shredder at the bottom of their mail chute or something...

Anyways, here's a copy of the letter I sent in, for anyone who cares...


RE: Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2007-70 – Call for comments on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) Task Force Report.

Dear Mr. Morin:

This is my written intervention in the CRTC’s call for comments on the CTF Task Force recommendations. As an emerging film professional I was dismayed and saddened to learn of many of the CRTC’s recommendations, and I can’t help but feel that they themselves form a serious threat to the health of our native industry.

The Canadian film and television industry faces a unique set of challenges compared to others from around the globe. As a predominantly English speaking country that shares borders with the largest exporter of English culture on the planet, it is undeniably difficult for Canadians to make our voices heard above the competition. In the words of the CRTC’s chair, Mr. Konrad von Finckenstein, the CRTC and the Canadian Broadcast Act is meant to be “….an instrument for protecting and nurturing Canadian identity.” The CTF Task Force’s recommendations contradict that stated goal.

How would allowing the CTF to fund 8/10 productions protect and nurture Canadian identity? How would eliminating a Canadian writer, director or actor from a Canadian production help us to tell Canadian stories? How does that serve to strengthen Canadian culture?

This recommendation is meant to allow the production of more “commercial” fare. That, in and of itself, is a flawed assumption. The flaw is, of course, that 100% Canadian productions can’t be “commercial.” Not only is this a ridiculous claim, it’s also insulting to all of the Canadians that work in our industry.

Canada’s most successful shows in recent memory have been 100% Canadian. The Trailer Park Boys and Corner Gas. Little Mosque on the Prairies and Degrassi. These shows have succeeded, both domestically AND internationally, not in spite of their Canadian credentials, but BECAUSE of them. We should be striving to produce more of these shows, rather than throwing in the towel.

This isn’t the only faulty assumption made in the CRTC’s recommendations. Another is the belief that a Canadian show would be able to secure a bankable talent (bankable meaning someone who could help to secure U.S. pre-sales of the show) given the budgetary constraints we’re forced to operate under. Take, for example, Corner Gas, which has a production budget of approximately $300,000 Canadian per episode. That’s barely enough (or not enough) to cover the salary of an A-list American actor or show-runner for a single episode. The reality of the matter is that this change would allow Canadian shows to hire a B-list actor that would bring little to no value to the production.

Perhaps more importantly, at least for the long-term health of the Canadian industry, is the message that the CRTC is sending to Canadian creatives. The message that “you’re not good enough.” The question that many Canadians will ask themselves is “if Canada’s unwilling to invest in me, then why should I be willing to invest in Canada?” These proposed changes will result in many Canadians leaving to pursue their careers elsewhere, if for no other reason than a need to make a livelihood.

It is my sincere hope that you are persuaded, if not by these comments, then by the many others that have been made, to further consider the CTF Task Force’s proposal. The proposal is ill-conceived and poses a direct threat to the continued health of Canada’s domestic television industry. There should be, at the very least, a public and transparent debate on the matter before any binding decisions are made.

Sincerely,

Peter Rowley
Screenwriter / Producer’s Assistant
Screen Siren Pictures Inc.