Advocacy, Policy and Research 2023 Round Up
We’ve been doing a lot of reflecting as we wind down operations for the year. Let's revisit a few of these pivotal moments in our Advocacy, Policy and Research Round-Up of 2023:
This spring, we ran the Racial Equity Facilitator Training program, a first of it's kind, in launching the first phase of our anti-oppression training and decent work initiative: a project designed to standardize equity training, guide industry leaders in the development of anti-racist decent work practices, and increase industry awareness of the impact of racism and other forms of discrimination on Black and racialized people working in the film and TV production sector.
In August, the gender equity org Women in View released their 2023 On Screen Report, warning “of the fragile state of parity work in Canada’s film and TV sector, revealing a notable slowdown in momentum for women and gender-diverse creatives in 2020 and 2021.” The report shows many groundbreaking findings despite many funders and broadcasters being unwilling to share their data. Read the full report and calls to action at womeninview.ca/reports
In September, Shine Network launched PACT, a 40-min online certificate course designed to empower non-Indigenous professionals within the screen sector with the tools, resources and best practices required to foster healthy relationships with Indigenous partners and team members. Our staff went ahead and completed the certification, we encourage you to join us on this collective journey of Truth and Reconciliation.
This year saw the continuation of the ACTRA lockout by the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). The lockout began when the ICA offered ACTRA proposals that they would never accept, including a cut of 60% to their wages, no retirement contributions, and an end to their benefits plan. The prolonged lockout of ACTRA members by ad agencies was the catalyst for the ongoing national boycott of the 6 top brands that use ICA agency. Starting in April, the boycott includes the following companies that use ICA agencies to produce their commercials:
Visa, Volkswagen, Johnson and Johnson, Wendy’s, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Rakuten Kobo, Rogers, Lindt, Sleep Country, John Frieda, H&R Block
The most recent dispute of the lockout happened this September, when the most recent phase of mediation ended due to the two parties being “too far apart on issues that are fundamental to each”, with ACTRA saying the ICA is “misleading agencies, brands and their consumers by blaming the union for the unlawful lockout” in their official statement. We suggest looking at the “ACTRA and ICA/ACA Proposal Comparison”.
In October, the Writers Guild of Canada released their 2023 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Report. We’ve highlighted the disappointment we felt in seeing how few senior-level opportunities are open for BIPOC, LGBQT2S+, and disabled writers to rise up through the ranks while diverse writers are being funnelled or stuck in lower-level staffing positions.
In November, the Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) released their National Data System & Benchmarking for Racial Equity Report. This report seeks to establish clear, research-informed guidelines and targets for the future of the Canadian screen industry. It calls on major public agencies to harmonize their data strategies to create a national data system, and urges the wider implementation of equity targets and quotas.
In November, Black Screen Office launched the Research and Action Centre (RAC) as a resource for addressing equity and combating anti-Black racism in Canada’s screen industries. RAC works on a customized fee-for-service operations basis for professionals and provides other free materials that offer foundational understandings of current issues, like the Being Seen Toolkit, and other free research reports.
On November 24, we spoke at the CRTC public hearings (alongside CISF, REMC, BSO and RESO) and called for an equity framework and commitment to antiracism and disability justice in the modernization of the Canadian broadcasting system BIPOC TV & Film's priorities were as follows:
Dedicated funds that prioritize equity-deserving communities
New international discoverability commitments of our productions
Harmonized data collection language and public reporting methods; and finally,
The CRTC undertakes an equity audit and implements a comprehensive strategy and framework that addresses the structural challenges affecting our communities.
Learn more about our role at the CRTC hearings here.
More broadly, we can celebrate the Uniting Unions & Guilds Committee meetings that brought diversity representatives together to conceptualize new points of advocacy within the unions and guilds.
What pivotal moments and achievements were in YOUR Advocacy, Policy and Research Round-Ups of 2023? Share them with us on our Threads post.