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Representing Canadian Screenwriters

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) represents more than 2,500 professional English-language screenwriters in Canada — the creators of entertainment watched around the world. The WGC administers contracts and advises producers on how to engage professional screenwriters, and celebrates and promotes its members by hosting the annual WGC Screenwriting Awards, as well as events and panels on the craft and business of screenwriting. The WGC is the voice for Canadian screenwriters.

 

What We Do

Representation

The WGC negotiates, enforces, and administers 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, the Independent Production Agreement (IPA), is negotiated between the Guild and the association representing independent producers — the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA). Agreements have also been negotiated with the CBC, NFB, TVOntario, CTV, Global, and ACCESS (Alberta). The WGC provides industry standard writing contracts, ensures contracts comply with the collective agreements, pursues royalties, and resolves disputes on working conditions, payment, and writing credits.

Services

The WGC works to raise the profile of screenwriters through marketing and advocacy initiatives, actively promoting writers and their craft. The Guild hosts annual WGC Screenwriting Awards galas as well as profiles members in the WGC members' directory, made available to registered producers interested in hiring professional screenwriters.

Guild members are entitled to free membership in the Canadian Screenwriters Collection Society (CSCS), an organization established by the WGC with a distinct mandate to claim, collect, administer, and distribute, on a collective basis, foreign authors’ levies to which film and television writers are entitled under the national copyright legislation of certain countries.

Advocacy

The WGC is a dedicated advocate for the profession of screenwriting in Canada. Through appearances at the CRTC and through work with government and industry partners, the WGC advocates for policies and programs that support opportunities for Canadian screenwriters. 

The WGC is the vocal champion of Canadian drama, lobbying to ensure that Canadian writers have a place of primacy in the Canadian broadcasting system, and in film and digital media. Canadian audiences want to be able to choose Canadian programs, and only Canadian writers have the voice, vision, and experience to tell those stories. 

WGC Writers' Forum

How We Work

The WGC is governed by a seven-member council of screenwriter members, who set policies and oversee Guild activities. Additional advice and input is received from a 16-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 four regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Central, and Pacific Western). The executive director and staff manage the Guild's day-to-day operations.

WGC Council
National Writers Forum
  • Sonja Bennett

    Sonja Bennett

    Pacific Western Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

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    Kim Coghill

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Ken Craw

    Ken Craw

    Pacific Western Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Joan Digba

    Joan Digba

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Madeleine Donohue

    Madeleine Donohue

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Keri Ferencz

    Keri Ferencz

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

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    Thom Fitzgerald

    Atlantic Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Laura Good

    Laura Good

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

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    Wayne Grigsby

    Atlantic Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Cynthia Knight

    Cynthia Knight

    Quebec Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

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    Keavy Lynch

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Abdul Malik

    Abdulla-Yahya (Abdul) Malik

    Pacific Western Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Rabiya Mansoor

    Rabiya Mansoor

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Renae J. Ruddock

    Renae J. Ruddock

    Central Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Jennifer Siddle

    Jennifer Siddle

    Pacific Western Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

  • Doug Taylor

    Doug Taylor

    Quebec Region Delegate

    Contact via Council

Committees

The following volunteer committees work closely with our council:

  • Animation (chaired by Amanda Smith)
  • Feature Film (chaired by Jason Filiatrault)
  • IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility – chaired by Marsha Greene)
  • Professional Development (chaired by Jeremy Boxen)

Committees, such as Animation and Feature Film, discuss craft issues and matters of importance to the Guild, and provide feedback to our council. Committees also provide important feedback to council during critical industry or Guild events, including IPA bargaining.

The IDEA committee's objectives are to help promote the voices of Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQ2S, and People with Disabilities within the Guild, to increase members’ understanding of the challenges faced by diverse screenwriters, and to address issues of diversity-based discrimination in conjunction with the Guild and council.

The Professional Development committee has a broad mandate to develop programs that provide WGC members with practical, inside knowledge about the industry to help members succeed at all stages of their careers, while also keeping council informed of trending professional challenges and opportunities.

General requirements for committee members include being active (annual dues paid), with full membership status (at least 60 minutes of contracted writing time since becoming a member), having a permanent residency in Canada and holding Canadian citizenship. In addition, for genre-specific committees like Feature Film or Animation, we ask that you have at least one writing contract in the genre represented by the committee. 

Committees will have a maximum of eight members plus the Committee Chair, or as determined by the Committee Chair. Committee membership is determined by council and an appointment to a committee coincides with the term served by that council (the current council term is from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2026). Committee members can be re-appointed by a new council. Committees may sometimes include WGC staff in an advisory capacity. Council will consider volunteers who come forward and appoint members to committees.

If you would like more information or to volunteer for a committee, please contact Natalia Escobar Bohorquez at [email protected].

IAWG

Member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds

The Guild works with other writers' organizations around the world and is a member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG), an international body representing guilds of professional screenwriters. The IAWG works to further the cause of screenwriters worldwide by lobbying governments to adopt writer-friendly legislation and through collective action, mutual support, and common representation internationally.