"Canadian films need to be encouraged, not sabotaged, as they would be by a clause in a tax bill originally designed to encourage a vibrant television and film industry in Canada.”

This was the message The Writers’ Union of Canada carried to Ottawa last week when Susan Swan, TWUC Chair, and Deborah Windsor, Executive Director, appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce.

Ms. Swan was speaking before the Senate Standing Committee to express the Writers’ Union’s opposition to Subsection 120(3)(b) of Bill C-10: An Act to amend the Income Tax Act.

If this subsection of the bill is passed it will have a Minister of the Crown, or the Government of the day, interpreting “public policy”, and making that interpretation a test for tax benefits for Canadian artistic productions. “If allowed to pass as is, Bill C-10 could open the way to using Canada’s tax system as a de facto film censor,” Ms. Swan declared.

The TWUC Chair reminded the Committee that public policy guidelines are already in place for government bodies funding Canadian films and Canada has existing laws dealing with violence, hate, obscenity and child pornography that are used to prevent distribution of films with illegal content. Denying support to film producers through tax credits would not only make it impossible to finance controversial films that might not be appreciated by the government of the day, but would also impose a “chill” on artists involved in making films.

Ms. Windsor told the Senators that Canada does not need an extra-judicial system to judge Canadian films. “To do so contravenes the democratic principle of collective sharing of the public costs for institutions like our schools and other public bodies,” she said. “It introduces a ‘big brother’ approach to the arts – one that gives unwarranted and dangerous powers to government. Passage of Bill C-10 in its present form would confirm that Canadian culture is entering perilous times.”

The Union also fears that the provision in Bill C-10 will lead to “increased self-censorship by writers and other artists and will cast a greater chill on the expression of ideas,” Ms. Windsor said. “This is unacceptable in a society has that enshrined freedom of expression in its Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” She called on the Standing Committee to recommend Senate rejection of the bill as presently written.

About TWUC
The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca

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For additional information
Deborah Windsor, Executive Director
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416. 703.8982 Ext. 221
dwindsor@writersunion.ca