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LANG Committee Report

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GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE 8th REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Introduction

  1. The Standing Committee on Official Languages began its consideration of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) on June 3, 2003, and released its report entitled Francophone Television Production in Minority Environments on June 13, 2003. It asked the Government to respond to the three recommendations included in the report.

  2. On June 11, 2003, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage also submitted to the Government its report entitled Our Cultural Sovereignty: The Second Century of Canadian Broadcasting in which it made a series of recommendations regarding the Canadian broadcasting system. As will be seen below, the findings of the Committees are related.

  3. The report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages highlights the significance of Francophone television production in minority language communities as a tool for generating economic activity and cultural vitality. It notes the very real progress made in recent years in the production of French?language television programming in minority communities. It states, however, that this progress is fragile, and that the decreased government contribution to the CTF and the Fund’s allocation rules limit access to funding for French-language productions in minority environments. The Committee pointed out that while Francophones in minority language communities accounted for 15 percent of the country’s Francophone population in 2000, the level of CTF funding for productions from these communities is below this ratio. The Committee also stressed that broadcasters, namely Société Radio-Canada (SRC) and TVA, must follow through on the commitments they made in their licence renewals with respect to supporting Francophone regional productions.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Official Languages calls on the Government of Canada to re-establish, and even increase its contribution to Canadian television production, and confirm it for the next five years.

Response

  1. The CTF was established in 1996 to strengthen the production and distribution of distinctive Canadian television programming. The CTF is now one of the key instruments supporting the production of Canadian television programming.

  2. When the CTF was established, the Government envisioned that its contributions would be phased out as mandatory contributions from the private sector grew. However, the Government recognizes that today’s Canadian television landscape is dramatically different. The launch of additional services, including the arrival of the digital networks, has increased the number of licensed Canadian services from 141 in 1996 to 252 in 2002, an increase of 79 percent. Each must meet Canadian content requirements and compete with greatly expanded choices from outside of Canada.

  3. The Government agrees that the CTF can play an integral role in the system of support for Canadian content. However, the Fund must prove its worth and measure its success in supporting productions which attract growing Canadian audiences to the various genres of programming which it supports.

  4. At the same time, the Fund must fairly meet the other objectives established: encouraging the production of programming by official language minorities, in Aboriginal languages, and from the regions of Canada.

  5. The matter of funding–the amount and appropriate sources–cannot be considered independently of the customary priority-setting exercises leading up to the federal budgets.

Recommendation 2

The Standing Committee on Official Languages recommends that the Government of Canada set aside immediately a minimum of 15 percent of the Francophone envelope of the CTF, or of the funding of any new structure that might replace the Fund, for television productions of Francophones in minority environments, a figure that represents the relative weight of the Francophone minority communities in the Canadian Francophone population.

Response

  1. Over recent years, the Government has put in place many measures to support both Francophones and Anglophones in minority language situations. It is also taking steps to respond to the needs of Canada’s diverse communities. In both cases, the Government believes that a multi-faceted approach holds the best promise of helping official language minority communities to thrive, and Canadians from diverse backgrounds to find their place in a cohesive Canada.

  2. With respect to television, an exclusive focus on the CTF fails to reveal the varying kinds of support–large and small–that are helping producers from French-language minority communities to establish their presence:

    • Created by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Working Group on Media Arts ensures an ongoing dialogue between official language minority communities, the Government, and its agencies.

    • Canadian Heritage’s Interdepartmental Partnership with Official Language Communities (IPOLC) has triggered activities in project development and training for television writers and directors with Telefilm Canada and SRC.

    • Montréal Immersions supported by Canadian Heritage, Téléfilm Canada and the CBC, provides training and initiates contacts between producers and broadcasters.

    • Support from the Department of Canadian Heritage to La télévision éducative et culturelle de l’Ontario français (TFO)–which is a major supporter of Francophone productions originating outside of Quebec–has helped to trigger prime time projects.

    • Through the IPOLC, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) supports filmmakers from official language minority communities. For example, the NFB is sponsoring the establishment of an organization which will represent Francophone filmmakers working in minority language situations.

    • The CRTC requires broadcasters that are licensed to provide a national television service to support appropriate levels of activity in the regions they serve. The Government expects SRC, TVA and other French?language broadcasters which hold national licences to meet commitments with respect to Francophone producers in minority language situations.

    • Tax credits support producers of Canadian television content.


  3. With respect to the CTF itself, a member of the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada–appointed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage–sits on the board of directors. Over the years, the board of directors has put in place a range of incentives that support Francophone productions in minority situations. In technical terms, these measures were known as bonuses for French-language productions, bonuses for French?language productions outside Quebec, bonuses for French-language productions outside Montréal, bonuses for small and medium enterprises, and regional bonuses. These measures have had quite a positive impact. In the four years prior to 2003-04, the number of Francophone minority language productions receiving CTF support increased considerably with contributions rising in value from $4.8 million in 1999-2000 to over $10 million in 2002?03. In 2003?04, along with a decline in funding from the CTF itself and an increase in the overall demand, this progress slowed.

  4. However, it should be noted that at the time the Committee released its report, the picture was not yet complete for access to CTF funding by Francophone producers in minority language situations. Since then, the Government acceded to stakeholders’ request to advance $12.5 million from the CTF’s allocation for 2004-05 to 2003-04. This has resulted in additional funding that made possible more projects originating from Francophones in minority language situations. Overall, for 2003-04, 19 projects from these producers have been allocated total funding of $5.9 million from the CTF.

  5. It is reasonable to expect that the CTF’s support for Francophone producers in minority language situations will fluctuate to some degree from year to year for varying reasons, including changes in broadcasters’ programming schedules, overall demand for Canadian programming (particularly in the documentary genre), the long program planning cycle, international market conditions, as well as the quantity and particular quality of products from this community from year to year.

  6. That said, the Government has specifically mandated the CTF to provide support to official language minority productions and looks forward to the board of directors continuing to meet this commitment in a satisfactory manner. In that regard, the CTF’s board of directors has recently decided in the context of improving the operations and efficiency of the CTF for 2004?05, to set aside 10 percent ($6 million for 2004-05) of the French envelope for Francophone producers in minority language communities. The CTF board also adopted the principle that the $6 million amount will increase or diminish proportionally with any increase or decrease that may occur in the overall CTF budget. The community of Francophone television producers in minority environments was consulted and supported this approach. The $6 million represents a guaranteed minimum for 2004-05 on top of which they expect further success through the regional incentives built into the CTF’s guidelines.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada thoroughly review both the administration and the structure of the CTF and Telefilm Canada.

Response

  1. The CTF has been widely characterized as having an overly complex and disjointed process of application and decision making. As a first step to improving this, the CTF board of directors has been focussing intently on improving the operations of the Fund so that it can function more effectively in the coming year. As a second step, the Government will simplify and clarify the structure of the Fund. Specifically, consideration will be given to a “one board–one administration” model.