Viewpoint: ‘Creative Canada’ shows government looking to future

By Ruth Tecle

Canada needs to modernize the way it supports its creative industries to reflect the current digital age.

That’s the message the federal government wants to send as it aims to freshen up its national cultural policies and funding programs for creative industries.

It’ll be a tough road ahead for federal Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, who’s responsible for the ambitious overhaul of cultural policy.

The minister recently released the policy blueprint “Creative Canada” to harsh criticism, but its detractors are premature.

The framework identifies a need to adapt existing funding (for cultural productions such as broadcast media, music and books) to support online media consumption.

The ministry’s goal is to re-evaluate decades-old, pre-Internet regulations such as the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act.

It’s hardly a document that should stir so much controversy at this point in the policy planning process.

A pledge by Netflix to invest in Canadian content is, by far, the most noteworthy announcement regarding the future of our film and television scene.

The popular online streaming service has agreed to contribute a minimum of $500 million over the next five years to produce content for distribution on its platform. It’s also promised to build a production studio in Canada, the company’s first studio expansion outside of the U.S.

There’s a lot of speculation about how this will affect Canadians employed in the industry. Will Netflix’s investment create or support Canadian jobs? Or will it benefit only the company’s American base?

It’s a legitimate concern that was addressed by the minister in a recent interview on CBC Radio’s The House.

Joly explained that Canadian workers will be protected under the Investment Canada Act that monitors and enforces employment measures.

Support for emerging artists is also a real concern but we don’t know enough yet to see how they’ll fare.

A common criticism so far is that the policy framework is too vague. It’s true, it doesn’t go too much beyond stating the rationale to modernize cultural policy. When it mentions the creative industries affected by the proposed shake-up, it mostly hints at lofty goals that leave a lot of room for detail — but isn’t that the point of starting with a framework?

The document isn’t so much an implementation strategy as it is a declaration of where the government wants to head, and where it hopes to end up.

After a year’s worth of consultations with the public and industry stakeholders, shouldn’t a summary of the ministry’s findings and aspirations be presented?

Certainly, the pursuit is grand enough to require an official unveiling.

Perhaps critics are bitter that Netflix will not be expected to generate tens of millions of dollars annually in sales tax.

On the surface, it seems unfair to traditional Canadian broadcasters. However, when you dig deeper you’ll find the government’s decision to not tax Netflix applies to all digital streaming services.

Remember Shomi? It wasn’t taxed. But the homegrown attempt to compete crashed and burned because Canadian customers actually had a chance to weigh their options.

Only a few media giants control the Canadian market. A historic lack of competition from foreign investors — who’d be required to create new Canadian jobs — hasn’t led Canadian TV and film to flourish in the new and exciting directions that are now possible.

Critics may harp on the regulations broadcasters face to produce Canadian content, but do we believe these behemoths would invest in CanCon unless they were legislated to do so?

Creating room for competition is reflected in the ministry’s decision not to bail out floundering print industries that haven’t been able to adapt.

With that in mind, the policy framework is as clear and simple as the adage: “Out with the old, and in with the new.”