TORONTO, ON (April 8, 2022) – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is disappointed the federal government failed to follow through on last year’s election commitments to permanently increase funding for Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund (CMF), the Canada Music Fund, the Indigenous Screen Office, and the CBC/Radio Canada in yesterday’s Budget 2022.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, Canada’s creative economy is still feeling the effects of public health restrictions and capacity limits,” said Eleanor Noble, ACTRA National President. “Despite the government recognizing the challenges our industry is facing and the role we play within Canadian culture and the Canadian economy, there was no new investment in the Budget for the screen industry. This is a crucial time and Budget 2022 failed to invest in jobs and increased Canadian content production.”
In 2019/20, Canada’s film and television production industries created an estimated 244,500 full-time equivalent jobs and contributed an estimated $12.2 billion to GDP.
Although Budget 2022 did not contain much-needed investment to support increased Canadian screen production, ACTRA welcomes the additional $50 million in 2022-23 to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Telefilm Canada to compensate for revenue losses, as well as the extension of the Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions until March 31, 2023. ACTRA is also pleased Budget 2022 will provide $22.5 million over five years starting in 2022-23, and $5 million ongoing, to Canadian Heritage for the Canada Arts Training Fund. Finally, ACTRA looks forward to revisions to the Copyright Act that will protect all creators and copyright holders.
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 28,000 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, e-mail: ctaverner@actra.ca