TORONTO, ON (April 19, 2021) — ACTRA applauds the federal government for including strong financial supports for Canada’s screen-based production industry in today’s Federal Budget announcement. Specifically, increased investments in the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Telefilm Canada, Indigenous Screen Office, National Film Board (NFB) and CBC/Radio-Canada.
“Increased and ongoing financial support for the CMF, Telefilm, Indigenous Screen Office, the NFB, the CBC and the Short-Term Compensation Fund is an investment in Canadian content production at a crucial time for our industry,” said ACTRA National President David Sparrow. “These investments will help strengthen our screen-based production industry by providing an opportunity for more Canadian stories to be told by more diverse Canadian storytellers. While the announcement of additional funding is welcome news, we must also ensure there are measures in place to promote the availability and accessibility of Canadian music and stories.”
The Government of Canada’s 2021 Federal Budget includes additional investments, starting in 2021-22, of $105 million over three years to Telefilm Canada, $60 million over three years to the CMF, $40.1 million over three years to the Indigenous Screen Office, $5 million for the NFB, and $21 million to the CBC/Radio Canada. To help Canadian musicians, concert venues, producers, and distributors, $70 million over three years will also be provided to the Canada Music Fund.
In addition to increasing and extending the Short-Term Compensation Fund, ACTRA was also pleased to see the temporary timeline extensions to federal film or video production tax credits. These supports will further assist our industry in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“ACTRA has long been advocating for the equitable treatment of traditional and online broadcasters,” said Sparrow. “Today’s announcement confirming a digital services tax on the revenue of large foreign and domestic businesses as well as the implementation of a sales tax for non-resident vendors or distribution platforms is a positive first step in creating a more even playing field.”
In 2018/19, Canada’s screen-based media production industry contributed $12.8 billion to our country’s GDP and generated over 180,000 jobs for hard-working Canadians.
To read ACTRA’s pre-Budget submission, please click here.
About ACTRA:
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national union of professional performers working in English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of over 27,000 members across the country – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.
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Media Contact:
Carol Taverner, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA National, tel: 416-644-1519, email: ctaverner@actra.ca