MONTRÉAL, Sept. 28, 2017 /CNW
Telbec/ - Quebecor today expressed reservations about the new
Canadian cultural policy unveiled by Canadian Heritage Minister
Mélanie Joly. Quebecor is
disappointed that the federal government's vision relies on
US-based giants to promote the development and vibrancy of our
culture.
"We are dismayed by the Minister's repudiation of Canadian
companies, which invest heavily to support the development of our
culture, make a major contribution to our economy and are actively
involved in their communities," said Pierre Karl Péladeau,
President and CEO of Quebecor.
"The Minister is endorsing a two-tier system," Mr. Péladeau
continued. "On the one hand, there will be foreign platforms that
will be able to engage in unfair competition by producing content
without taxation and without being subject to Canada's regulatory framework, while receiving
production tax credits. On the other, there will be Canadian
distributors and broadcasters, which will be taxed and bound by
strict and restrictive regulations. That is blatantly unjust."
It might also be suggested that the Trudeau government was taken
to the cleaners when it agreed to exempt Netflix from taxation in
exchange for an undertaking to spend $100
million on Canadian content for five years, given that
Netflix had already promised to do just that in 2016. The amount in
question is only 1% of Netflix's total budget. By comparison, TVA
Group alone spends $300 million per year for just the Québec
market. "This paltry agreement is an insult to the leading role of
broadcasters, the largest contributors to Canada's audiovisual landscape," Mr. Péladeau
added.
Quebecor believes the government should instead encourage
production companies to distribute their content on Canadian
platforms in order to make locally produced content easy to find
and keep audiences inside the Canadian broadcasting system.
"Make no mistake: the government's approach will lead, logically
and inevitably, to domination of Canada's broadcasting ecosystem by US giants.
The public broadcaster will be the only remaining domestic player,
as the private broadcasters' manoeuvring room will have been wiped
out. Ultimately, local producers, artists, cultural workers and
audiences will be the losers," Mr. Péladeau concluded.
Quebecor intends to actively participate in the process of
reforming the Broadcasting Act, the Telecommunications
Act and the Copyright Act. However, the Minister's
announcement today leaves room for concern about the direction in
which the government is heading.
About Quebecor
Quebecor, a Canadian leader in telecommunications,
entertainment, news media and culture, is one of the
best-performing integrated communications companies in the
industry. Driven by their determination to deliver the best
possible customer experience, all of Quebecor's subsidiaries and
brands are differentiated by their high-quality, multiplatform,
convergent products and services.
Quebecor (TSX: QBR.A, QBR.B) is headquartered in Québec. It
holds an 81.53% interest in Quebecor Media, which employs more than
10,000 people in Canada.
A family business founded in 1950, Quebecor is strongly
committed to the community. Every year, it actively supports people
working with more than 400 organizations in the vital fields of
culture, health, education, the environment and
entrepreneurship.
Visit our website: www.quebecor.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Quebecor
SOURCE Quebecor