Toronto, ON (May 31, 2018) — ACTRA National President David Sparrow and National Executive Director Stephen Waddell are welcoming a new report from the CRTC that calls for new measures to ensure foreign digital broadcasters contribute to the production of Canadian content.

“Today’s report from the CRTC acknowledges that de-regulating and scrapping the system that has built Canada’s screen industry is not a solution for the challenges of the digital era. Instead, we need to bring new digital broadcasters to the table to ensure everyone is equally contributing to the creation and promotion of Canadian stories. That’s something Canadian performers agree with.” said David Sparrow, ACTRA National President.

ACTRA National Executive Director Stephen Waddell says in any discussion of new models and new legislation the details will be crucial: “The current regulatory system has served Canadians well and helped build a world-renowned Canadian screen industry. As we adapt to the digital era, we need to ensure a new approach is transparent, effective and fair.”

The CRTC released the report “Harnessing Change: The Future of Programming Distribution in Canada” today following a request by the government to the CRTC to conduct a study on programming distribution models and their impact on the maintaining a “vibrant domestic market.”

To read ACTRA’s submissions regarding this report (CRTC Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-359), please visit www.actra.ca/advocacy/crtc.

About ACTRA:

ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national union of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of over 25,000 members across the country – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.

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Media Contact: Carol Taverner, ACTRA Public Relations Officer, tel: 416.644.1519, ctaverner@actra.ca