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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 176

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 30, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 176 - Mar/30/23
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
  • Mar/30/23 10:44:12 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-11 
Madam Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to be able to rise in this discussion. I was just at the first-ever Qualicum Beach Film Festival. It was led by a grade 12 student in my riding. It just shows the opportunity for film and the importance of media in our communities. In fact, in Qualicum Beach, there is $18 million being spent in the film sector alone. The opportunity is endless, but they are playing at an unfair advantage. Groups across the country, such as the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, FRIENDS of Canadian broadcasting, the Writers Guild of Canada and the Canadian Media Producers Association, are getting behind this bill and calling for action. There have been delays. We hear Conservatives say that this bill is a disaster and everything is broken. Some things are broken. This is something that is broken, and it needs to be fixed. We are here to fix things. Instead of wanting to fix things, Conservatives want to keep things broken. They want to tear it down. We need to move forward. Can the minister speak about the sense of urgency there is to support Canadian producers?
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Context: House Hansard - 176 - Mar/30/23
Mr. Denis Trudel
  • Mar/30/23 12:45:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the 2021 election was seen as a real disaster for the cultural sector in Quebec, mainly because it delayed the previous version of the broadcasting bill. We had to start over from scratch and we were not able to pass the bill. I agree with my colleague. There are so many people and so many creators. I cannot count the number of times I was in a short film by film students at Concordia University, the University of Montreal or UQAM. I made movies. I was not paid, but I told myself that these young creators were the filmmakers of tomorrow. They want to make a name for themselves. These are young people from all over. I remember making a movie with a young Venezuelan director who was studying at the University of Montreal. That was around the time we were filming Octobre. When Octobre was released, this student went to see it, and he had serious questions about the independence movement in Quebec. Venezuela is a country with a lot of upheaval. We had some really extraordinary discussions. It is extremely important to protect creators across Quebec and Canada against the hegemony of these major platforms.
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Context: House Hansard - 176 - Mar/30/23
Mr. Denis Trudel
  • Mar/30/23 12:47:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that said, I would like to clarify something. I know many people who work in the cultural industry, particularly technicians, who earn a living thanks to American productions filmed in Montreal. It is an important industry, and we want it to stay that way. I make a point of going to see every Quebec film that comes out. We have had a great year. I would invite all those who are listening to go and see the Quebec films that came out this year, such as The Dishwasher and Luc Picard's most recent movie, Confessions of a Hitman. Some amazing movies are being made, and we must support our creators. Quebec has a population of only eight million, but our movies are captivating audiences all over the world. Take Xavier Dolan, for example, or the phenomenal director Denis Villeneuve, who is now making movies in the United States, but who got his start here. We need to support our industry.
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