The Government of Canada will provide additional support to the audiovisual sector through Telefilm Canada
OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 31, 2024 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Canadian feature films and television productions because they tell our story and reflect our lives.
We are modernizing our support for the audiovisual sector to connect better with Canadians, including through actions like the Online Streaming Act that help the sector adapt to the evolving creation ecosystem.
To respond to challenges facing the screen sector, Budget 2021 invested $105 million over three years in Telefilm Canada. This investment aimed to provide better access to a diverse range of creators and producers, support sustainable practices, and respond to the needs of an evolving audiovisual industry.
Today, the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced a total investment of $100 million for Telefilm Canada over two years (2024–25 and 2025–26), to ensure that it can pursue the modernization of its suite of programs, continue to provide better access to a diverse range of creators and producers and continue to support sustainable practices.
This support will also ensure Telefilm maintains initiatives to improve support for creators from equity-deserving communities and measures to advance environmental sustainability, as introduced through temporary Budget 2021 investments. This commitment is crucial for maintaining the sector's sustainability, fostering competitiveness and nurturing the growth of the creative economy.
The creation of screen content that reflects Canada and our diversity, such as the feature films Bones of Crows, Brother, Blackberry and Simple comme Sylvain, is key to developing our talents. Telefilm Canada played an essential role in the development and success of all of these stories, which reflect the very best of Canada.
Canada's audiovisual industry is a major source of economic activity and jobs for Canadians across the country. The government remains committed to the success of Canadian audiovisual content production as we continue to modernize our support for the sector.
"When Canadians see and hear our stories reflected on screen, we feel the connectedness of unique, powerful, shared cultural touchstones. To support Canada's creative sector better, we made a commitment to Canadians to increase the funding for Telefilm Canada. Today, we're delivering. This investment is essential to maintain the positive impact of Telefilm and to enable its modernization and its overall support for our feature film sector. Our country needs a strong and vibrant industry to ensure that Canadians can continue to access high-quality audiovisual content that is made and owned by them and seen and experienced by all of us."
—The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
"We welcome this news with enthusiasm, as Telefilm Canada continues to champion the industry that is passionately dedicated to the advancement of Canadian and Indigenous cinema. We extend our gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage for their collaboration, as well as their timely and essential contribution to our sector, especially as the industry is gaining momentum and mobilizing its efforts to remain viable and competitive."
—Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada
The investment of $105 million over three years announced in Budget 2021 included $20 million in 2021–22, $35 million in 2022–23 and $50 million in 2023–24.
This investment will also help maintain the 183,716 full-time equivalent jobs directly linked to the sector and their annual contribution of $20.3 billion to Canada's gross domestic product.
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
Ariane Joazard-Bélizaire, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 1-819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]
Share this article