The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) welcomes the federal government’s decision to suspend trade negotiations with the United States to defend Canadian culture and uphold Canada’s sovereignty.
“Our stories and our culture are a fundamental component of Canada’s sovereignty,” said WGC President Bruce Smith. “Their importance to Canada was rightly recognized as a red line in recent trade negotiations.”
However, earlier this summer, the Canadian government granted the United States a trade concession by overruling recent CRTC decisions made under the Online Streaming Act, effectively releasing foreign streamers from the obligation to invest in the work of Canadian screenwriters and the rest of the audiovisual industry, and introducing uncertainty into our domestic cultural ecosystem.
“The Online Streaming Act is a central component of Canada’s cultural policy,” said Smith. “Without stable and predictable contributions from foreign streamers, we risk weakening Canada’s voice and the reach of our stories at a time when they have never been more crucial.”
The Government of Canada’s forthcoming policy direction to the CRTC is an opportunity to reinforce its ability to implement the Online Streaming Act. The WGC urges the Government of Canada to seize that opportunity: to continue to uphold our sovereignty, implement the Online Streaming Act in full, and reinforce Canada's ability to regulate and support our domestic industry.
We look forward to working with the Government of Canada to ensure meaningful and enforceable investment obligations for Canada’s screenwriters and the audiovisual industry.
