Marilyn Churley - NDP

Hello there. Campaign infrastructure has the central campaign replying to questionaires. But we wanted to send a letter from Marilyn regarding her commitment to this sector. It is an area of signifigance to her, and we are so glad to have this opportunity to respond.

The arts is an issue of key signifigance to Marilyn (on a biographical note, she was an actor at one point in her career). And she has translated her committment to this sector into results. You may know that Marilyn was instrumental in getting the film and television credit scheme revised last year. The Ontario Minister of Finance publically acknolwedged her role in getting him to move on the issue.

You can count on Marilyn to advocate for the Canada Council of Arts when she goes to Ottawa, and for other measures to support artists like a system of tax averaging to provide fair and equitable treatment for Canadian artists.

Best

Jasmyn Singh

Marilyn Churley Campaign

Dear Friend:

I am running to be the next MP for Beaches East York. I am excited, and ready to put my 17 years of experience of getting results for the communities I represent to use in the House of Commons.

You may know that last year I played an instrumental role in getting the Ontario Finance Minister to revise the film and television tax credit scheme, a move that revived Hollywood North and saved thousands of local industry and spin off jobs.

It is readily apparent that Toronto’s film and television industry needs more local champions in the House of Commons. Liberal majority governments implemented policies and funding cutbacks that have hurt the sector:

· In 1999, the Liberals allowed the CRTC to reduce the number of airtime local broadcasters were to give to Canadian made drama and comedy. This decision precipitated the decline of domestic television production, undermining its growth and recognition here and abroad, and made the Canadian industry dangerously more dependent on foreign productions for its livelihood.

· They have failed to introduce a national strategy so Canadian films are shown on Canadian screens. The only reason why Canada meets the current 5% quota is because Quebec requires theatres to give reasonable screen time to domestic productions.

Such a policy would stimulate the domestic film industry that is brimming with potential to be vibrant and lucrative. Our filmmakers, who struggle to make and screen movies in Canada, have managed to gain a following abroad because of the quality of the storytelling.

· Despite the Liberals 1993 campaign promise to provide CBC long term funding, they gutted our national public broadcaster. Funding has been destabilizied. CBC CEO Robert Rabinovitch, and the CBC board, all Liberal patronage appointments, silenced the airwaves this summer by sanctioning a lock out.

· Local Toronto liberals voted against a NDP motion to exempt 30,000 of income from income tax to support artists, writers and performers.

You have seen the NDP get results this past Spring. Electing more NDP MPs like myself means more will get done. As evident from my work on the tax credits for film and television, I fight and deliver for the communities I represent, and for arts and culture.

You can count on me to provide you that kind of representation in Ottawa. And the NDP has the strongest policies to bolster Canadian television, film and radio. For example, the NDP will fight to:

· Direct the CRTC to revamp its 1999 television policy so there will be a significant and permanent increase of Canadian drama and comedy aired on prime time;

· Ensure that Canadian television networks remain Canadian owned;

· Provide sustained and increase funding for the Canadian Television Fund, Telefilm, and the CBC. CTF and Telefilm play a critical role in the development and promotion of quality Canadian programming and feature films. The NDP recognizes and supports the CBC’s capacity to connect Canadians to each other through news, regional programming, drama and comedy, and its crucial role in building our distinct identity as a nation;

· Facilitate agreements with film distributors to screen and distribute domestic films in Canada;

· Provide increased funding for the Canada Council for the support of the arts.

· Ensure fair tax treatment for artists through tax averaging and exemption of the first $30,000 copyright and certain royalty income.