Paul Dewar and New Democrats will strengthen Canada’s home-grown film and television production. We will:

Ensure Canadian television and telecommunications networks remain Canadian-owned by maintaining effective regulations on foreign ownership.

Refocus the mandate of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to promote and protect Canadian cultural industries, and transfer mandates that conflict with this objective to other agencies.

Provide sustained funding for the Canadian Television Fund and Telefilm Canada, and enhance federal film incentives to encourage film and television production.

Establish targets and a strategy to expand screening and distribution of domestic films in Canada.

Reverse efforts to legislate censorship, as the Harper Conservatives snuck into bill C-10. If passed, this bill would arbitrarily restrict and censor publicly-supported artistic works.

End the federal government’s double-dipping, by excluding provincial tax credit increases from the federal government’s calculation of film support payments.

Expand the federal tax credit to include the cost of post-production.

Require clear, binding and enforced performance standards for broadcasters – including a significant and permanent increase in the production and broadcast of Canadian drama – backed by broadcast, cable and satellite license requirements.

READ Paul Dewar's report based on his community consultations: Arts and Minds

To invest in our shared cultural heritage, Paul Dewar and New Democrats will:

Restore arts funding arbitrarily cut by the Harper Conservatives. Increase public funding for the Canada Council for the Arts to better support artists and ensure we can produce high quality made-in-Canada shows for everyday Canadians to enjoy.

Invest in a pan-Canadian broadband strategy to bring high-speed internet to more communities in Canada.

Implement a system of tax averaging to provide fair and equitable treatment for Canadian artists and cultural workers.

Implement "net neutrality" to protect everyday Canadians’ right to freely access the internet content of their choice at a flat rate and with clear and transparent rules. We will end price gouging and "net throttling", preventing a two-tiered internet in Canada.

Develop an aggressive pan-Canadian strategy for funding, supporting and preserving Canadian museums, historic buildings and heritage lighthouses.

Strengthen public broadcasting and provide stable long-term funding for the CBC, Radio Canada and other public broadcasters. We will strengthen the ability of CBC and Radio Canada to deliver superior regional programming and new internet-based media services.

Reform the role and structure of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), including enhancement of the role of the CRTC in Montreal so that it better reflects the cultural and linguistic reality of programming for Quebec and the francophone community.

Develop a digital on-line culture service to give ordinary Canadians expanded access to Canadian content.

Increase career transition resources for artists.

Protect children in the arts with minimum standards and trust fund rules for income earned by child performers.

Ensure that new copyright reform legislation fairly addresses compensation for artistic creators and includes proper input from all affected stakeholders including: arts/artist groups, educators, software innovators, consumer groups and ordinary Canadians.