Who We Are

The Writers Guild of Canada is a national association representing 2,000 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and multimedia production in Canada. Members of the Guild are the talented professionals who write dramatic TV series, feature films, MOWs, documentaries, animation, comedy and variety series, children’s and educational programming, radio drama, as well as digital and multimedia productions.

What we do

The prime occupation of the Guild is to negotiate, enforce, and administer  collective agreements setting out the minimum terms and conditions of work in the Guild’s jurisdiction – independent English-language production in Canada.  The central collective agreement, Independent Production Agreement, is negotiated between the Guild and the associations representing independent producers – the Canadian Film and Television Producers’ Association and the Association des Producteurs de Films et de Télévision du Québec.  Agreements have also been negotiated with the CBC, NFB, TVOntario, CTV, Global, and ACCESS (Alberta). We also provide industry standard writing contracts, ensure contracts comply with the collective agreements, pursue royalties and resolve disputes on working conditions, payments and writing credits.

As the voice of Canadian screenwriters, the Guild works to raise the profile of writers through a number of marketing and lobbying initiatives. The Guild actively promotes writers and their craft by publishing Canadian Screenwriter Magazine and a Directory of Members, holding the annual WGC Screenwriting Awards, and organizing training seminars and networking opportunities. The Guild also undertakes extensive lobbying and policy projects, working closely with government agencies to promote Canada’s indigenous film and television industry.

How we're connected

The Guild works closely with other screenwriters’ organizations around the world and is a member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG), the body representing guilds of professional screenwriters. Agreements are in place allowing members of the WGC working in most other guilds’ jurisdictions to have their initiation fees waived when joining.

Several years ago, the Guild established Canadian Screenwriters Collection Society (CSCS) to collect and distribute foreign authors’ levies legislated for screenwriters from secondary uses in Europe and other jurisdictions. Membership in CSCS is free for all WGC members. 

How we work

The Guild is governed by a seven-member council, which sets policies and oversees Guild activities. Additional advice and input is received from a fifteen-member national forum who meet annually with council and staff. Both bodies are composed of Guild members elected for two-year terms from Canada’s five regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Central, Prairies, and Pacific). The executive director and staff manage the Guild’s day-to-day operations.