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Bill C-10, Canadian censorship.

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Johnny C:
Please understand that I rarely post anything politically motivated on this forum, and that even this to an extent is not politically motivated. Though not a Conservative myself, I genuinely take no umbrage with people who vote for that party. This is also not in fact a post designed to convince you to vote otherwise. Instead, I am bringing some Canadian political news to your attention, but only because I believe it's an issue of poor legislation that manages to transcend party lines.

Perhaps you're aware of it. In summary, the bill contains an amendment to the Income Tax Act that would effectively limit or cut entirely funding for film productions deemed offensive by a closed-doors committee. I spent a good hour putting together a letter to the Prime Minister and CC'd to the Senate committee which is near giving the bill the royal assent it requires to become law, and the letter explains my position far better, though the sign-off is clumsy.


--- Quote ---Prime Minister Harper,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you today on the subject of Bill C-10. You likely know that the bill contains provisions to amend the Income Tax Act in order to deny funds to films that feature content "against public policy" ("Tories plan to withhold funding for 'offensive' productions," The Globe & Mail, 28 Feb. 2008). As a musician who deals lyrically with issues of gender identity, government policy and economics, among other things, I wonder what precedent this will set for receiving FACTOR grants and other public financing for my work, which has yet to be recorded or published. As a Canadian citizen, I worry even more deeply about the impact this will have on Canada's thriving artistic community and the film industry, as well as the economic results.

The Hollywood Reporter did a story on the bill on Friday. The general tone of the article was one of severe caution. It would be easy to imagine from reading the article, titled "Canadian tax credits: strings attached," that there will be a decrease in Hollywood's business here further than the decrease already caused by our rising dollar. Even at the end of last year, producers were already using the strike as an excuse for coming up north for productions ("Strike shutters 'Bionic,' 'Battlestar' up north," Hollywood Reporter, 16 November 2007). Tax credits are one of the few incentives for productions to film in Canada. Would a film like Brokeback Mountain, not to mention films like David Cronenberg's controversial-yet-acclaimed Crash, be made in Canada today with Bill C-10 in place? I greatly doubt it.

Beyond that, I feel I must express dismay that the bill is set to enforce the views of a select few. Evangelical Charles McVety is claiming a victory in this matter. According to him, there are a "number of Conservative backbench members that do a lot of this work behind the scenes." This work reportedly includes denying tax credits to "films promoting homosexuality, graphic sex or violence" ("Evangelist takes credit for film crackdown," The Globe & Mail, 29 Feb. 2008). What is positively unnerving about Mr. McVety's comments is that, thus far, not a single Conservative member of Parliament, backbench or otherwise, has come forward to deny McVety's claims. His name has been brought up in the House of Commons and published in Canada's foremost national newspaper in connection with the bill, and the silence that this government has met his comments with can only be considered a tacit endorsement of his words.

Since this is an issue of taxpayer money, I'll ask that you consider this. The process for determining whether or not films will be morally objectionable will take place behind closed doors with a select group of people making the final decision. As a voting, tax-paying citizen, I don't feel comfortable with this group of people diverting my tax dollars away from films that I might find morally unobjectionable, and I don't feel comfortable with my tax dollars paying them to do so.

Artist and Canadian,
John Cameron
--- End quote ---

If you find this issue at all in your interest, if you have any thoughts in favour or opposition of this bill or if you have questions, I ask that you please write to your MP, the Prime Minister (pm [at] pm.gc.ca) or the Senate.

Scandanavian War Machine:
it's about time something bad happened to canada!

your country is too awesome and needs to be taken down a peg!

pat101:
I am QUITE angered by this bill espesically when things like "the bill only adresses only the most extreme and gratuitious materal..."  are being used as an excuse. I mean who is making these descesions on what is "gratuitious"? Something tells me my defenition is quite different from some of those in Canadian parliment.

thegreatbuddha:
Point of Confusion: The Bill isn't actually going to prevent one from making content deemed inappropriate, but prevent one from gaining a tax-credit useful in such an endeavor?

Johnny C:
The tax credit is usually a hefty one. Making it more difficult to obtain based on moral standards is, in effect, a tacit form of censorship.

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