Thursday, February 28, 2008

From the Globe and Mail today:

The Conservative government has drafted guidelines that would allow it to pull financial aid for any film or television show that it deems offensive or not in the public's best interest – even if government agencies have invested in them.

The proposed changes to the Income Tax Act would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits to projects deemed offensive, effectively killing the productions. Representatives from Heritage and the Department of Justice will determine which shows or films pass the test.

The proposed Bill C-10 would be a devastating blow to Canadian culture.

The bill would allow the Government to pull financing after the money has been spent. You go and make your TV show, and then if a politician thinks he can make a name for himself by calling your show "degenerate," for example, you now owe the Government all the money they gave you. What producer is going to take a chance on bankruptcy by producing anything that might be the slightest bit offensive?

What shows could be considered "offensive" by a Conservative Heritage minister? Oh, JUNO, I imagine (teen sexuality and pregnancy). NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (violence). THERE WILL BE BLOOD (violence, inappropriate parenting). Um, what were the other Oscar nominated pictures again?

Could you guarantee to a bank that BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN wouldn't get its financing pulled, what with the onscreen gaysex?

Realistically, the bill would mean almost no Canadian content will get made at all. No bank will cash flow a film or TV show if up to 25% of its financing can be yanked back. No bank is going to want to take a bet whether a given show will be made an example of by politicians.

The American stereotype of Canadians is "boring but nice." If any TV shows or movies get made under a Bill C-10 post-hoc censorship regime, they are guaranteed to be nice and boring.

Is that the kind of culture the Tories want? Not really. They watch violent and sexy movies too. They just don't want to pay for Canadian ones. They're happy to watch Bond movies from the US. And if Canada becomes a cultural backwater of the US, they're cool with that.

If you don't think that's a good idea, then write the Prime Minister. And the Minister of Heritage.

And the Leader of the Opposition.

And write your local Member of Parliament too; you can find him or her at http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html.

He hinted then that the government was considering a “public policy” criterion for tax credit certification and a definition of what would be “contrary to public policy” that would make a production ineligible for film and TV tax incentives, as well as funds directed to sound recording and book publishing.

Awesome. So expect a lot more Céline Dion in your future, and a lot less Alanis Morissette.

More at Dead Things on Sticks here and here.

Oh, and here's a Facebook Group that Karen Walton started.

Labels: Canadian politics, Cancon, CRTC, CTF

5:35 PM

8 Comments:

I started a facebook group to spread the news around. It's here: http://unbc.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12840855990
. It may help if nothing else.

Do you mind if I post a link to your blog?

Thanks again for the information.

By  Shay, at 6:48 PM  

Just Googled Bill C10 CRTC

And your post showed up as #5

Trying to find out more about what C10 is meant to do (outside of the provisions added for the Tax Code).

Any ideas, all?

By  Brandon Laraby, at 7:46 PM  

Oh, I think you're overreacting. It's the Conservative government, for God's sake. Do you really think that they're going to try and tell other people what is moral and what is not? That's ridiculous!

By  Tim W., at 7:47 PM  

Please feel free to post a link!

By  Alex Epstein, at 8:17 PM  

Dang. That's harsh. Like American religious right-winger harsh. It wouldn't pass, would it?

By  Andy M., at 8:21 PM  

Check it out, you're famous! :P

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Bill+C10+CRTC&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

By  Brandon Laraby, at 8:32 PM  

That's even worse than the US right wing's attempts to kill arts funding. At least those bozos didn't pull funding after it was spent.

By  Unknown, at 8:48 PM  

This comment has been removed by the author.

By  Brandon Laraby, at 9:15 PM  

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