Democracy in Action? Canadian Heritage Ministry Contemplates Overhaul to Content Industry Incentives

It’s been a crazy busy couple of weeks, TAAFI happened, now there’s gradfilms to share and, as usual, we can barely keep up with the job posts. But while all this has been going on, all wonderful symptoms of a very healthy and thriving animation industry, which is part of a larger cultural industry, our government is asking for your help.

Kinda. My skin is always skeptical, that’s my outer layer. But when I’m really honest with myself, and maybe this is a big reason why I run this site, under my layers of leathery, career-scarred skepticism, I’m a very hopeful person. I’m probably, at my core, an actual, honest-to-goodness optimist.

When given the choice, I choose to believe. I give the benefit of the doubt.

So when the Canadian government makes a link available for a “pre-consultation questionnaire”, I’m gonna go check it out.

Here’s what’s up. According to this link, in an effort to strengthen Canadian content creation in our emerging digital world, our relevant ministry, Canadian Heritage, wants to understand it better. Which makes way too much sense. But that’s what they’re doing. So they’ve posted up a survey that YOU can fill out.

People are talking about it.

Mark Mayerson, friend of this site and champion of the creator, is talking about it. It’s a good quick read. Here’s the link if you’re not aware that it’s permanently attached to our upper left corner.

The Globe and Mail is talking about it too. Here’s that link. Go read it.

If what the ministry is saying is true, then this is unprecedented. “Everything is on the table”. That’s a quote from the Minister herself. So maybe this means something. Maybe this is where we get an opening that might encourage our hungry creators to do something new. Perhaps more accessible funding for non-broadcast content creation? Who knows? But as of today, and until the 20th of this month, the door is open for you to share your thoughts.

So do it. Even if you think you may not totally know what you’re talking about, be a voice. Usually these guys only hear from those who have access to them at expensive lunches and dinners at pricey conferences in the mountains. They claim to be listening. Let’s call them on it.

Here’s the link to the questionnaire. Click it. Fill out whatever you can. If you don’t, I certainly don’t want to hear you bitch about the status quo in a bar after work in two years. That shit gets old.