January 20, 2009
The Honourable James Moore, M.P.
Minister for Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0M5
Dear Minister:
The Documentary Network is a space for reflection, concerted action and dialogue to ensure that documentary plays its essential role in society. The Documentary Network’s oversight ensures that the documentary genre takes its rightful place as a defender of democracy, tolerance and open-mindedness. Our organization works to improve conditions for the creation, production and distribution of documentary.
At its January 9, 2009 meeting, the Documentary Network’s Board of Directors came out strongly in favour of a renewal of the Canadian Television Fund to ensure its stable, long-term funding. Documentary Network members who support this letter are: L’Association des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC); L’Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ); L’Association québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS); L’Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ); ASTRAL Media Channels; The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA); The Directors Guild of Canada, Quebec Council (CQGCR); The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC); The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA); La Société Radio-Canada (SRC); Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM); Télé-Québec; and Vidéographe.
Since its founding, the Canadian Television Fund has made it possible for the Canadian audiovisual industry to produce hundreds of hours of high-quality television intended for Canadian viewers. The Canadian Television Fund has responded, in particular, to the goal of stimulating growth in the documentary industry: 20% of CTF resources go towards Canadian documentaries, and documentary is the Canadian Television Fund’s most important category in terms of number of hours of production.
Canada is recognized as a pioneer in the documentary field and still ranks among the world’s major producers of documentary films. This country has always taken care to offer its citizens documentaries that bear witness to social change, here and elsewhere. The Canadian documentary community and the industry that supports it have deep roots in the audiovisual landscape, offering Canadian men and women a wide range of visions, grounded in real life, that contribute to their understanding of the country and of the world at large. Since its inception, the Canadian Television Fund has been an essential tool in helping Canadian documentary achieve its potential.
The Canadian Television Fund is a reflection of the best that Canada’s flourishing audiovisual sector has to offer. As you know, the audiovisual sector also creates more than 120,000 jobs annually, generating significant tax revenues.
The Canadian Television Fund is based on a vision that comes out of the great Canadian tradition of regulation and accessibility of the airwaves and audiovisual productions, for the benefit of all Canadian citizens.
Yours sincerely,
Nathalie Barton, Chair
Jean-Pierre Gariépy, Executive Director
c.c. – The Right Honourable Stephen Joseph Harper, The Honourable James Flaherty, Mr. Michael Ignatieff, Mr. Gilles Duceppe, Mr. Jack Layton, Ms. Hedy Fry, Ms. Lise Zarac, Mr. Charlie Angus, Ms. Carole Lavallée, Mr. Claude De Bellefeuille, Ms. Valerie Creighton