:
I'd like to call this meeting to order.
The first part of our meeting today will be one hour. Seeing the clock at 3:35, it will be 4:35 when the meeting is over.
Welcome to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, meeting number six. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are undertaking a strategic review of arts and culture program expenditures.
I welcome today our witnesses: John Lambert, chair of John Lambert and Associates Inc.; Robin Jackson, executive director, Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund; Max Berdowski, executive director and chief executive officer, Canadian Screen Training Centre; and Marc Robitaille, screenwriter. I hope I was correct in pronouncing everyone's name.
In the first round you each will have an opportunity for a five-minute introduction to us, and then we will be going on five-minute questions and answers as we go around. We'll be sticking as closely as we can to the five minutes because we want to make sure we can get as many questions answered as we can in this hour.
We start off with Mr. Lambert, if you would, sir.
:
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak with you today.
My name is John Lambert. I am an artist's agent. I represent Canadian performing arts companies that tour internationally as well as in Canada. I'm from Toronto originally—western Ontario—and I live in Montreal. I represent artists from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. I tour these companies to major festivals and venues in Canada and abroad.
The Canadian market is somewhat limited because of the size of our population, and so I tour them primarily internationally. I export them, as it were. This international export of productions by these performing arts companies sustains the jobs of approximately 200 people—201, if you count me.
In Canada, I tour them to such places as the National Arts Centre and the Citadel in Edmonton. Internationally I tour them to the Sydney Opera House, to the Kennedy Centre in Washington, to the Barbican in London—all around the world.
These festivals pay a fee to cover the administrative cost—salaries, etc.—of the companies as well as provide hotels and per diems for the artists when they perform in these venues.
PromArt was a program administered by Foreign Affairs Canada that had a budget for international cultural exchange of about $3.7 million, and $3 million of it went towards the export of our artists abroad. This investment went to cover some of the travel costs and some of the cargo shipment costs—simply that. The total investment of both PromArt and to a lesser extent of the Canada Council has shown itself to be less than 20% of the budget of these tours. This money has pretty well gone directly to pay for plane tickets, to Air Canada and to Canadian cargo companies.
So the money received from government went directly to Canadian businesses in the travel and cargo shipment sector. In return, the Canadian economy has earned foreign currency generated by the fees earned by these companies abroad. Our industry has figures to support the assertion that every dollar invested in the cargo and shipment costs of the productions to get them to the international market has actually generated five times this amount in revenue.
The sudden ending of PromArt has had a dire effect on this Canadian export industry, which has worked productively and effectively for the past 40 years. Perhaps the government feels that Foreign Affairs Canada is not the appropriate department to administer this investment. If that's the case, the government needs to transfer the responsibility and the associated funds to the Canada Council, a body that is already set up to administer these funds.
By cancelling PromArt and erasing $3 million from the overall government budget, the Canadian government has radically destabilized a fully functioning and highly successful export industry that is now being brought to a grinding halt. This Canadian industry has a clear market advantage internationally. One would think the government would want to invest more, not less. The cancelling of PromArt without transferring the administration of these funds has cut this Canadian export industry off at the knees.
Over the past 50 years, through the Canada Council Canadians have invested in the research and development of the performing arts in Canada to create internationally acclaimed productions. The quality of the productions has evolved and sustained itself because of this investment, so that now Canadian productions are recognized for their quality. Canadians' productions are distinguishing themselves through the integration of new technologies and innovation with the forms of performance, mixing disciplines of theatre, circus, and music in a highly and uniquely Canadian fashion.
With the announcement of the termination of PromArt, upcoming tours that have been contracted as far back as 2007 and 2008 have found themselves without sufficient financing to deliver the productions to market. Some tours have been cancelled.
Foreign producers are now becoming wary when negotiating with Canadian companies. We're spoiling our markets and undermining business relationships that took years and millions of dollars to build. Tours projected in 2009-2010 are being cancelled as international festivals and venues cannot assume the cost of our artists' travel and cargo shipment. They will instead purchase productions locally or from countries such as the U.K., France, or Australia, where our competitors' governments sponsor these same travel and cargo shipment costs. This is the standard internationally.
An example of how the international exposure of our artists can interact with other countries and cultures, perhaps in a way that diplomats, business people, and even politicians cannot, is found in the example of Glenn Gould's tour to the Soviet Union in 1957--one great event in Glenn Gould's life that had a long-lasting effect on the performer and audiences and would influence future generations of Russian musicians. Gould was the first western musician to perform in Russia since the Second World War. He left Canada as a well-known Canadian musician and returned as a worldwide sensation. Gould's tour was made possible with government grants.
These are the opportunities--economic, cultural, and diplomatic--Canada is losing by completely withdrawing the $3 million budget administered by PromArt and not transferring these funds to another administrator, such as the Canada Council.
Thank you very much for your time.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
Twenty years ago a Conservative government launched a fund to help create Canadian content for use by Canadians in schools, universities, community centres, and libraries to support education and lifelong learning. The fund, which became known as the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, CIFVF, was in response to the concern over the shortage of audio-visual resources with a Canadian perspective and an independent voice.
In 2000 the CIFVF was fortunate to secure a multi-year contributions agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage. In this agreement, the CIFVF was mandated to administer a key portion of the feature film policy, which involved giving priority to first-time applicants who were in an early stage of intended long-term careers as producers and whose project, if successful, would provide experience in filmmaking for emerging directors, writers, etc.
The department required that the CIFVF spend at least 10% of its funding on new and emerging producers. Each year we consistently spent 31% to 34% on this category and the rest of the money on middle to experienced producers.
When the agreement expired in 2006 we were evaluated by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The summative evaluation concluded that “more opportunities to work in Canada have been provided to Canadian creators as a result of the policy”. The report also said, “The CIFVF is very active in engaging talented Canadian creators. It is clear from the results that there are successes in the program from the perspective of developing talent.”
Based on the results of the evaluation, the department renegotiated another contribution agreement, but removed the 10% spending requirement on new and emerging talent. The CIFVF continued to spend a minimum of 30% each year on new and emerging talent.
The agreement went from 2007 to 2009. On May 28, 2008, the CIFVF received a letter from Canadian Heritage extending the agreement to 2010. In July we received a notice that they were withdrawing the extension and the agreement would go to 2009. On August 8 we were told that the funding would cease entirely and the CIFVF must close down on March 31, 2009.
The reason given to us for closing was that we were no longer a priority but that feature film was a priority. However, we were part of the feature-film policy, helping to implement that part of the policy that assists in launching and growing careers of producers, writers, etc. In many cases, some of the emerging filmmakers have gone on to work in drama and/or feature films. This is exactly what we were supposed to do.
If the policy had changed, should there not have been a review of the CIFVF before closing it down? If reviews were done, why were they not shared with us? Why did they not wait to review the CIFVF in 2010, when they initially told us that was what they would do?
So what's the impact of the disappearance of the CIFVF? Is there any? Yes. There will be fewer projects in schools, colleges, and community centres where Canadian young people can see Canadian perspectives and values.
As the CIFVF is the only funding agency that does not require a broadcast licence--and this is an extremely important fact for new and emerging producers--it will be more difficult for documentary producers to find money to make those projects.
While the department has said that the Canada Council can replace the CIFVF, this is not true. Only 2.6% of all of the funding that has come into these projects that we have been involved in has come from the Canada Council. The Canada Council's focus is the artist, not the producer and not the production company, which is what we focus on.
Similarly, only 2.5% of funding provided to our projects has come from the National Film Board. Their mandate is different from ours, and they do not replace us. The Film Board is a producer or a studio and not a funding agency such as the CIFVF. We can respond to a wider spectrum of project demands than the film board can.
With the disappearance of the CIFVF, there will be diminished opportunities for new, young, and emerging producers to cut their teeth on real-life producing and to set up new production companies. There will be fewer opportunities for projects to help communities and have a social impact.
Take the example of Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home. This is a feature-length documentary financed by the CIFVF about how the family household has become one of the most ferocious environmental predators of our time. Five thousand people have joined the garbage online community devoted to waste reduction. More than 120 schools, universities, and colleges have bought the film. After viewing Garbage! at Sir Sandford Fleming College, students and teachers alike have become more aware of their consumption habits and have built an impressive display of coffee cups collected over the course of one week to quantify the waste.
Furthermore, while a final figure is not yet known, there's a possibility that around 100 producers may not get their last payment for their projects. This is because the Department of Canadian Heritage will not pay us for any projects that are not completed and delivered by March 31, 2009.
It should also be noted that the department will not assist us with any closing-down costs. We will have to pay to get out of our leases for office space, the photocopier machine, postage metre, and severance pay to our huge staff of two people. Those closing-down costs amount to more than $100,000.
We had invited some of our producer partners to appear with us, but given the short time limit, some of them just sent statements.
How am I doing for time?
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, and good afternoon.
[Translation]
Thank you for inviting us here.
[English]
My name is Max Berdowski. I'm executive director of the Canadian Screen Training Centre, le Réseau d'ateliers cinématographiques canadiens. I'm pleased that Marc Robitaille could join me today. He's a top screenwriter. He's led our French screenwriting training workshops for our students.
The Canadian Screen Training Centre, le Réseau d'ateliers cinématographiques canadiens, is based here in Ottawa and is this country's first national training program for film and television. Our founder, Mr. Tom Shoebridge, is with us here.
CSTC/RACC training has launched and supported the development of countless careers. Our graduates are among Canada's top screen professionals and include the Academy Award-winning Denise Robert, the producer of Les invasions barbares. We provide emerging filmmakers with a truly unique opportunity to interact and learn from the best in the business. Our instructors are the creators behind Bon Cop, Bad Cop, the Oscar-nominated Water, Shake Hands with the Devil, The Border, and I could go on and on.
In what Dr. Richard Florida has dubbed the creative age, he writes that prosperity requires investments to be made, in people and our infrastructure. He writes that our goal must be to harness and use our full creative talents in order to grow the businesses of the future, that we must build the talent and education system attuned to the demands of the global creative economy. Well, film and television jobs are exactly the types of creativity-oriented occupations he's referring to. Why? Because creative business is big business.
The Conference Board of Canada examined the impact of culture on our community. They valued it at $84 billion. It's an economic powerhouse, and this is no time to scale back on its support--quite the contrary. How else can we nurture and grow these highly valued jobs if not through professional, industry-focused training programs such as those offered by dedicated, not-for-profit training institutes like ours? A vibrant creative industry behoves support no less than any other industry, and it's training that provides this needed support.
Film- and television-makers must be trained, not just in time but by anticipating trends. Rapid change demands rapid responses, and a training institute like ours has a demonstrated capability to do just that. We're knowledgeable of the industry's needs and nimble and responsive in delivering our programming. CSTC/RACC instructors work every day in the industry and keep us attuned to its evolving needs.
As an industry, film and television is highly labour-based. In fact, half of all production expenditures go to its workers, our students. Failing to invest in their training is akin to failure to invest in any industry's future.
Our organization is one of four that comprises the national training program in the film and video sector, which will be terminated at the end of this month. NTPFVS funding of $200,000 annually constitutes 40% of our budget. In today's economic climate, replacing this has proven to be quite challenging. Our traditional funders, the country's broadcasters, are undergoing financial stresses of their own and inform us they are unable to fill the gap. Unless this critical core funding is replaced, we will close our doors in perhaps a year's time.
With the modest annual investment received from government we have been delivering highly accessible, top-calibre training to 500 students yearly right across the country. Furthermore, CSTC/RACC is a leader in diversity training for the industry, with fully 25% of our students coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. After 29 years, CSTC/RACC training has earned its well-established reputation as a premier training ground for the next generation of this country's creative film- and television-making talent, talent this industry will surely need if it is to survive today's challenges and flourish.
Training is not a luxury; it is vital. Without it, the future of this particularly creative industry will be severely compromised.
Marc.
I want to thank the members of the committee for having us here. My name is Marc Robitaille. I have been working as a screenwriter in Quebec for the past 12 years. I'm here today to speak to you briefly about the impact that training has had on my work and on my career.
I work primarily for the film industry. I have also written several books that have been published as well as some screenplays for television. Last year, one of my screenplays made its way to the big screen—it's now available on DVD— while another film based on one of my screenplays is scheduled to be released before the end of 2009. In addition to writing screenplays, I work as an advisor on other projects and occasionally, I teach screenwriting, for example, at the Canadian Screen Training Centre.
In a field to which many are called, but where few are chosen, I have been fortunate indeed to have some of my screenplays produced. In this business, timing is everything, but there is another reason why I have had some success in the field of screenwriting. I think it's because I have had an opportunity to meet people in the business who have helped me to understand and learn the ropes. Where did I meet these people? In most cases, I met them while I was taking classes and attending workshops. Between the ages of 30 and 40, I had several opportunities to train with experienced screenwriters who worked in the business and were prepared to share their knowledge of what they had learned along the way. I received this training while attending programs offered by the CSTC, the Canadian Screen Training Centre, as well as from experienced authors from France, the United States and Canada.
The knowledge acquired while attending these workshops still stands me in good stead years later in my career. These individuals taught me the basic principles of screenwriting, and they taught me to strive for excellence. In addition, while learning alongside them for many weeks, I was able to appreciate that screenwriting was indeed a real career and that it was possible to actually become a screenwriter. Of course, I continued to perfect my craft and to work as a writer in the months and years that followed. When my courage would waver or when I lacked motivation and wondered if I would ever succeed, I could always go back and attend classes and in the process, revive my passion for my craft and regain my conviction that I would be successful.
When I first became interested in becoming a screenwriter, I was told that it would take me 10 years to succeed in this business. I convinced myself that I wouldn't need that long to reach my goals. But ultimately, it did take me exactly 10 years. However, I'm convinced that had I not had access to the programs offered by the CSTC which I spoke of earlier, I would not have persevered for 10 years; I would probably have given up on my craft much sooner. Programs such as these are the true reason why people like me continue to be passionate about their work.
Thank you very much.
:
Mr. Chair, the Jewish Film Festival is starting soon, and so is the Hot Docs, Reel Films, Planet in Focus, the Inside Out Film Festival. And then the International Film Festival is starting in the fall. It creates thousands and thousands of jobs, it creates GST, it contributes to the economy, it's good for our identity, it talks about who we are as Canadians. These cuts are completely contrary to everything that we, as a country, should stand for.
I look at the bigger picture. The entire heritage department has been cut by 12% year over year in terms of transfer of payment, from $1.1 billion to $960 million. And the stabilization projects, support for endangered arts organizations, those funds, as we need them most because of the economic downturn, seem to have been eliminated. And with Telefilm, there was the cut of $2.5 million. It went from $107 million to $104.6 million, which is probably one of the reasons the training program got hit, because Telefilm also got cut. The Canadian Television Fund, according to the estimates that came out on Thursday, went from--and this is dramatic--$119 million to $20.4 million. So you're looking at a $99.5 million cut--that's a huge cut--in the program book that I have in front of me.
Yes, Richard Florida talked about the creative class. I guess the Conservatives are not seen as the creative class. I don't know what class they're really representing--certainly not the middle class, because a lot of them go to see films and help train a lot of filmmakers and want to support that.
What do you think is the real reason behind these cuts? I don't quite understand the 12% cut in culture all across the board. I can list all the organizations, but you don't want me to go on for five minutes.
To begin with, I'd just like to correct the record. I feel it's incumbent upon me to do so. I just want to cover some of the commitments made by the government in our economic action plan, budget 2009, and also point out that the honourable member from Trinity Spadina is not supporting these investments in arts and culture.
Of course, we've got $540 million of total investment in arts and culture, $276 million of which is new investment, Mr. Chair. That's an increase of 10% in the total budget. The Canadian Television Fund will be receiving $200 million over two years, cultural infrastructure will receive a $60-million investment, $100 million for marquis festivals from coast to coast in this country, $20 million for national arts training, $25 million to create a new Canada Prize, an endowment fund, $30 million over two years for magazines and community papers, to support those organizations, $28.6 million for the Canadian new media fund, and of course $75 million for upgrades to historical sites.
So we've got a very, very substantial increase in the budget, a substantial increase in the budget for heritage. Obviously, we already had increased that by some 8% since we took government. So I don't want the misrepresentations of the member to lead the witnesses to believe there's been a cut to heritage, because there's only been an investment into heritage.
Now, there have been reallocations. There have been programs that have been terminated. I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking that is not the case. But the misrepresentations by the members across is abhorrent to me, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Lambert, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions.
First of all, you indicated you didn't think there was an analysis. I can assure you the government has mandated all departments to undertake a strategic review, to indicate the bottom 5% of programs in each department. That is an analysis that is going on in every single department, and this one department was not singled out for that. So I just want you to—
:
Robin, for the benefit of the committee, would you forward a copy of the letter you received with regard to the cancellation of the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund? Also, could you provide a copy of your request to the department for assistance with the closing costs you would incur as a result of the department's decision?
I can tell you that when the minister came, many of the members on this side of the House requested that they be provided with documentation of the analysis that occurred. Unfortunately, to date we have not received that analysis.
But the list goes on and on. I think PromArt was cut, and Trade Routes was cut. Now the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, Canada Feature Film Fund, the national training program for the film and video sector, and Canadian Culture Online are cut.
There have been many organizations and individuals who have been impacted. I think I can speak for my colleagues on this side of the House when I say we are trying to ensure your voices continue to be heard. Whatever we can do to assist, we are here to support you.
Some of the e-mails I've received say:
My television/video production company has been in business since 1991, founded on a grant from the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund. The documentary I made from this funding led to over 30 commissioned video projects relating to health care and social services, from which we still derive our income. Further, the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund contributed to another four documentary projects, which have been sold across Canada and throughout the world.
Another person writes:
This tiny fund of a mere $1.5 million is one of the most crucial funds in the country to enable filmmakers to make films that may not seem off the top as commercially viable, but relevant to the Canadian public. The fund programmed by our peers is cost effective and very accountable, in that funding decisions are based on audience needs. Filmmakers have to make a strong case for funding for their film, through market research and endorsements from the targeted market and audience groups.
The list just goes on, as does the number of people who have benefited from the programs you provide. I hope the voices of these individuals and the great initiatives you had will be listened to by the current government to ensure that funding is restored for some of your very important programs.
Thank you.
Mr. Lambert, you stated that one of the main obstacles Canada must contend with is its very small population base. In Canada, the same performance cannot be staged 40 times, given the small population. We have no choice but to export our productions. Are the effects of this requirement to export productions felt more strongly in Quebec?
When I was working in Texas, I bought a book by Carl Sagan entitled Contact. The book was in English and I paid $21 for a copy. I purchased the same book in Quebec for $76 a copy. Why? Because the francophone market in Quebec is so small that prices are four, five, or six times higher. As a rule, this is the reality with which the Quebec cultural community must contend. To all intents and purposes, limiting cultural exports will only bring culture to its knees. Would you say that the repercussions are far more damaging for Quebec than for any other region of Canada?
:
Actually, Quebec has a very good network, a very professional network, for presenting the performing arts, and the Quebec artists exploit it very well.
I'm from English Canada. I'm from Ontario. I try to tour companies across the country. It's very difficult, because you're right along the border. It's a thin line across the border. And it's a very small population base. So if you're investing all this money to develop this wonderful art, and you perform it maybe ten times in Quebec.... You have the language factor, as well. And then what are you going to do with it? Because it's so good there's a demand for it abroad, and because we've worked on that for the last 40 years, we have a market already developed. It just seems a shame to throw it in the garbage. It just seems a shame. You're going to have companies that are going to fall. Tours are going to disappear. And the partnerships we've built up are simply going to evaporate. We're developing new partnerships with China, with India, and with Colombia.
I'll give you one example, if I may. Last year I took two productions to the festival in Bogotá. Right now there's political will in North America to develop relationships with Colombia that go past the drug trade. Well, there's a festival that's existed for 20 years there called the Festival de Cine de Bogotá. It was established by a woman from Argentina who wanted to instill in the Colombian people a sense of cultural pride. She developed the best festival of Latin America, and she brought companies from around the world. And when you perform at the Bogotá festival, it's not Cirque Éloize presents; it's Canada presents. So when people are going to see a show at the Bogotá festival, they're going to see Canada.
This year they went to see Cirque Éloize, and they saw this innovative company that's really leading the world in terms of new circus. They also went to see a virtual reality show, developed by a company from Montreal, on Norman McLaren, our treasure. It integrates live performance with the films of Norman McLaren in a magical fashion that only we can do in Canada. This company is going to the Taiwan festival. I'm leaving next week. It was just in Macau. It's going to Paris. It's going to London. It's going around the world with the stamp of Canada. And that's how you people have been known.