Heritage Minister Sheila Copps met recently in Toronto with representatives of the Video Software Dealers Association’s Canadian National Council. The purpose of the meeting, part of Focus on Video ’99 (vsda turf), was to discuss ways to better promote Canadian film and video titles in video stores.

‘It was a good and positive initial meeting,’ says the vsda’s vp for Canada, Mark Halliday. ‘I think all the minister is used to hearing is ‘Don’t tax me’ or ‘Give me money.’ I think it was nice for her to hear someone saying don’t tax us, but here are some things we can do for you.’

The meeting has been many months in the making. In February 1998, Copps put together an advisory committee to find a way to get more people to see more Canadian films. Nearly a year later, the committee suggested a tax on film distribution, video rentals included, to raise money for higher scale production and marketing. The vsda was opposed.

‘Yes, we are a huge industry but it is made up of $3.50 transactions,’ says Halliday. ‘That’s where the revenue comes from and if you tax that, the revenue goes up and there is a definite concern that people will lose interest in renting videos.’

The vsda spent six months collecting 320,000 signatures of video store patrons for a petition protesting the tax. With so many Canadians opposed to a new tax, Halliday says the vsda and Copps spoke about becoming allies in their quest to get Canadian product seen through other means.

‘We’ve been saying to people in the Heritage Department, ‘work with us’. Let’s find a way where Canadian films can capitalize on the revenue potential through video. The minister is now interested in exploring what we have to offer,’ says Halliday.

The vsda, comprised of 1,200 video retailers in Canada, presented the minister with a suggestion for definitive Canadian sections in video stores that wish to participate. Halliday says point-of-sale materials have been created to highlight homegrown films and special Canadian sections within the retail outlets.

Another initiative put forth at the meeting involves an award presented by the vsda to one Canadian film each year, says Halliday. ‘We have our award show in the u.s., and releases under all sorts of different topics, so we decided to have a Canadian release-of-the-year with the help of retailers voting – again, just to get a little more exposure for the Canadian industry.’

Halliday is pleased with how the meeting went and says the foundation has been laid for a good relationship between the Heritage minister and the vsda.

‘I think this is the start of a good relationship and a better understanding [for the minister] of what we as an industry are all about – and for us, what she is looking for,’ Halliday adds.