October 17, 2007 - Toronto - ACTRA is not surprised that there was no mention of culture or the future of Canada's film and television industry in the Conservative government's throne speech.

"The Harper government is clearly prepping for an election. By failing to even mention culture, let alone provide necessary support for our industry, the throne speech also shows that the Tories continue to have no interest in supporting Canadian culture," said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA National Executive Director. "The continued inaction of this government to positively address our media industry issues is seriously jeopardizing the future of Canadian culture."

The diminishing presence of Canadian drama on our television screens, the lack of Canadian films in our theatres, chronic under funding of cultural institutions, and the alarming talk of Tory ministers about relaxing foreign ownership limits for Canadian media companies, all point to a future in which Canadians have no voice.

"Many industries are feeling the impact of the high Canadian dollar. The throne speech alluded to measures to assist a number of industries feeling the dollar's impact - forestry, fisheries, manufacturing and tourism - but not the film and television industry. That's a serious omission signalling that the Tories have no interest in the cultural industries," said Waddell.

ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA
represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada - the foundation of Canada's highly
acclaimed professional performing community.

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For more information:
Susan Ponting, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA National
(416) 644-1519 1-800-387-3516 cell (416) 768-3336 sponting@actra.ca