HOW THE CRTC IS LIKE HOUSE OF CARDS
Dark prospects for more Canadian TV lead to scenario for a great miniseries
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is an unknown entity to most Canadians, and that is probably not a good thing.
In recent days, it has come under increased scrutiny for a number of reasons, both policy and personal/personnel, but the discussion in the media is almost always within the Business section of newspapers. In and of itself that says a lot. The commission is made up of 13 members appointed by cabinet and selected regionally. It exerts considerable control over Canada’s telecommunications industries, from television and radio to the Internet, telephones, the whole darn thing.
Its current chairman is JeanPierre Blais, a former assistant minister of cultural affairs at the Department of Canadian Heritage. He recently came under attack when he clashed with another commissioner, Raj Shoan, who filed no less than three legal actions against Blais’s performance as chairman. Shoan is no longer a CRTC commissioner.
At its noblest, the CRTC has acted on behalf of Canadian citizens on all kinds of deregulations, most recently “unbundling” the cable TV packages that had us paying a lot of dough for access to networks we did not want to see.
For many years the CRTC was also the champion of Canadian content, much to the chagrin of many of those same corporations, which own broadcasting outlets and claim producing Canadian content is too expensive as compared to buying it from the U.S.
Which, of course, is perfectly true. As it is equally true in almost every country in the world.
On the other side, Canadian writers, actors and directors applauded the recognition that culture does not exist on a level playing field. Telling Canadian stories to Canadians is not economically viable. Canadian audiences don’t want to watch “inferior” TV. We might be onetenth of the American population, but our productions must strive to maintain similar quality standards.
The CRTC championing comes via “content quotas.”
Each network must show so many hours per day of Canadian content. It even tells the networks how much content can be shown at certain parts of the day, not allowing networks to “hide” Canadian shows by putting them on in the middle of the night.
If public funding from what is known as Certified Independent Production Funds, monies coughed up out of broadcasters’ profits, are used to produce these shows, they have to be written, directed, produced and acted by Canadians in a point system requiring a minimum of eight out of a possible 10 points.
Canadian writers, directors, first and second lead actors count for two points each. One point is given for a Canadian cinematographer, production designer, editor and music composer.
Recently, the CRTC made the following announcement: “The current criterion requiring eight out of 10 Canadian certification points to qualify for CIPF funding is restrictive and excludes many productions that could otherwise be of high quality and qualify as Canadian.”
Here’s the kicker: “A reduced requirement of at least six points could also facilitate the hiring by production companies of nonCanadian actors or creators, who may increase a project’s attractiveness and visibility in international markets.”
The inherent logic or lack thereof in the above statement will be a source of great debate in the weeks to come.
Less Canadian equals more success?
If gushings on Facebook are any indication, many Canadian creators voted for the Liberal government.
That is the same government that is now in the midst of a major review of the arts in Canada — what we do, how we fund it and maybe even why we don’t actually watch much of it.
Strange, then, that the CRTC would invoke such a major change in policy before Heritage Minister Melanie Joly gets in her quatre sous. The minister says the CRTC doesn’t work for her, so she cannot be pre-emptive and say: “Merci, M. Blais, mais Little Stevie Harper is gone and so are you.”
In fact, Blais remains in the saddle until November 2017.
Dark as the prospects are for more Canadian television, the struggle between the minister, the cabinet and the CRTC has the makings of a scenario for a great miniseries, something like say, House of Cards.
That’s two Canadian points if we can find a Canadian to write it.
What about Chris Hemsworth as the prime minister? He is not averse to working with his shirt off.
Academy Award winner Christopher Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) would bring just the right note of menace to his performance as Blais. A little obvious to be sure, but if you want the Bonaparte complex, of which Blais is often accused of suffering, Waltz has it in spades.
And why not Joly playing herself ?
Remember Joly’s campaign poster when she ran for mayor of Montreal? Now THAT is star power! And another two points.
In the future world of Canadian TV, we are already two-thirds there. Stay tuned. This is not over.