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ACTRA: Canadian Dramatic TV continues collapse
Canadian Performers Call For Urgent National Action

OTTAWA – October 7, 2003 – The fate of next year’s drama season on Canadian television hangs in the balance over the next few months. Funding and regulations need to be urgently addressed or a final collapse may be in the offing.

“It’s hard to believe Canada could make an even bigger mess of its broadcasting system, but that’s what we’re about to do if things don’t change,” said Rick Mercer. “We are surrendering the most powerful medium we have. If we don’t change course right now, Canadians will be listening to and watching Americans 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on every channel they can click to.”

Today, Canadian actor Paul Gross is leading a star ensemble from ACTRA – including Mercer, Sonja Smits and Wendy Crewson – in meetings with Ministers and Finance and Culture Critics to press these points. Performers will make a formal pre-budget presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and meet with
CRTC commissioners and staff.

Performers are asking for action on two fronts:
• The federal government should restore and reinvest in the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) in its next budget.
• The CRTC should update and renew its regulations – in time to save next spring’s production season.

“In 1999, with 12 primetime dramas for TV, we were building audience success like every other Western country was doing,” said Sonja Smits. “Then, the CRTC changed the rules. Dramatic TV production collapsed, and we have only four drama series left on air. The result is that American productions basically now own Canadian primetime TV.”

“Under the current plan, federal investment in television through the CTF will be cut by more than a third next year – a cut of almost $40 million,” said Wendy Crewson. “If we want Canadian stories on air, cutting the CTF is the wrong choice. At a minimum, the CTF should be maintained at $100 million. To help turn things around, we should go further and invest an additional $20 million in the CTF.”

The actors also called for prompt action by Canada’s broadcast regulator. “Stabilizing and renewing the CTF staves off a final collapse,” said Paul Gross. “But if we want to take back our primetime, and build a successful, increasingly market-funded and audience-driven Canadian dramatic television system – we need to do more. We need a new set of broadcast regulations – in time for next season’s production – that clearly spells out that there is more – MUCH more – to a Canadian broadcast licence than a free pass to rebroadcast American shows.”

ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is Canada’s largest film and television creative union, representing over 21,000 professional performers across the country. Organizations representing almost every person working in the film and television industry are speaking up with increasingly urgent calls for the Canadian government to act on the crisis in Canadian TV drama.

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For more information:

Carol Taverner, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA Toronto - cell: (416) 617-7016

Dan Mackenzie, Manager (ACTRA Toronto) 1-877-913-2278 ext. 4013 or (416) 644-1506 cell: (416) 526-2438 emai: ldanmackenzie@actra.ca

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