COMMENTARY: In modernizing the cancon points test, be careful what you wish for
By Douglas Barrett, featured above, adjunct professor in the arts, media and entertainment MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
This is the fifth piece I have written for Cartt.ca on the definition of a Canadian Program (the previous pieces are listed below) and I want to focus this one on the 10-point content scale used by both CAVCO and the CRTC in determining whether to certify a program. As this measurement metric is now decades old, and as the world of production has completely changed multiple times in that period, it is almost universally assumed that a major modernization is in order. Not only does the about-to-be-passed Bill C-11 require a review by the CRTC, but the Canada Media Fund (CMF) has launched its own consultation on the subject.
What specifically are the articulated gripes about the point system? Well, first and foremost there is no formal subject matter requirement for a program to be identifiably set in Canada. The system is clearly focused on counting creative workers. More on this later.
Another complaint is that certifying a program if it achieves just six out of a possible 10 points permits key creatives to be non-Canadian. For example, by requiring that either the writer or director to be Canadian, a key authorial voice drops away. Historically, that has most often been the writer. As well, permitting either the highest paid or second highest paid performer to be non-Canadian is seen to damage the performing community.
… For full article, visit: https://cartt.ca/commentary-in-modernizing-the-cancon-points-test-be-careful-what-you-wish-for/