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Canadian Actors Warn Federal Leaders of Cultural Integration With The U.S. |
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Written by Wire Services
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Wednesday, 11 January 2006 |
Canadian stars today called on federal politicians to let Canadians know where they stand on Canada's cultural future. Among those members of ACTRA taking part in a Toronto press conference were several well-known Canadian actors including Colin
Mochrie, Wendy Crewson, Fiona Reid, Wayne Robson, and R.H. Thomson. who wre in attendance to raise the alarm during this election about the threat to Canada's cultural sovereignty.
"It is our culture that defines us as a nation - it is what makes us who we are. Unfortunately, Canadians are overwhelmed by Hollywood content from American broadcasters; they're dumping their product into Canada. We're being culturally integrated into the U.S. and our politicians are not doing anything about it. Our next government needs to take immediate action," said Wendy Crewson.
The actors spoke passionately of their concerns about the devastating decline of Canadian drama programming on our television screens and the lack of Canadian films in our movie theatres. They also drew attention to the alarming potential for foreign ownership of Canadian airwaves and the need for increased long-term funding for Telefilm, the Canadian Television Fund and the CBC.
"U.S. programming dominates our private broadcasters' schedules and Canadian drama is disappearing from our own TV screens. We're asking politicians to tell us that they will direct the CRTC to impose both drama content and spending requirements on private broadcasters so that Canadians can see our own diverse culture on our screens," said R.H. Thomson.
Culture is a $26 billion dollar industry that provides more than 700,000 direct jobs for Canadians. Performers and others in our cultural industries are frustrated that federal politicians are ignoring such a large part of Canada's economy and sovereignty.
"There are less than two weeks left in this federal election campaign and we know very little about the parties' plans on cultural issues," said Crewson.
"Canadians deserve to see the parties' cultural planks before we let them lead us down a path of no return," said Thomson. "And we're asking Canadians to vote for the party and candidates who are most committed to taking action to give our country a strong, vibrant and independent culture."
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