A new ominbus bill, C-10, which was passed recently in the Canadian parliement, contains a 13-word clause which would allow the Canadian government to deny tax breaks to films deemed contrary to public policy, as determined by the Heritage Department. According to the Globe and Mail:
It was passed by all parties in the House of Commons – but only because opposition members say they didn’t notice the changes to the film and video tax credit program buried in the thick legislation.
Didn’t NOTICE??? I wonder what else the opposition parties missed…
There’s a good article about this dangerous precedent here featurings quotes from Canadian cinema’s David Cronenberg and John Greyson. Galafilm’s experienced and multiple award-winning producer Arnie Gelbart makes his case against the Bill in a National Post editorial you can read here. Burnaby, BC MP Bill Siksay has a petition that you can download, print, and mail back to him once you’ve gather up some signatures – here’s a direct link to the Word document.
