TV-makers grew increasingly frustrated late last month, following a solid week of conflicting announcements and rumors about the Canadian Television Fund, the most recent and puzzling of which is being blamed on a misunderstanding between two reporters and Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps.

Newspaper reports on May 2 indicated that Copps was to add $130 million to the cash-strapped CTF – thus saving many TV shows and countless jobs from the chopping block and, no doubt, scoring points against Finance Minster John Manley, her rival for the leadership of the Liberal party.

The news followed several days of contradictory remarks by both ministers, and the source of Copps’ millions remained a mystery.

A senior Heritage source now says Copps was only referring to the remaining LFP and EIP monies and had not promised any new cash for the fund. Heritage is working on funding reforms for next year. At press time it remained unclear if the Feds would restore the $25 million.

The back-and-forth has angered many in the industry, who feel CTF has become, in the words of ACTRA national executive director Stephen Waddell, ‘a political football.’

‘Canadian television is being destroyed by the Liberal government’s inaction. Copps and Manley must put their personal leadership ambitions aside and work together for Canadian culture,’ says Waddell.

‘We can’t continue like this any longer,’ adds CFTPA president and CEO Elizabeth McDonald, clearly frustrated by the ‘insanity’ that is endangering ‘real people with real jobs all across Canada. This is no way to run a business.’

In Quebec, the APFTQ also criticized the lack of renewed funding. ‘We find the contradictory signals from the federal government to be completely unacceptable… this worries us a lot,’ says chairman Jacquelin Bouchard.

The APFTQ says it will launch a major public campaign if the situation is not dealt with and has also criticized the LFP’s lack of support for Quebec regional producers, none of which got LFP cash this spring.

Manley was in Toronto on April 26 for a fundraising dinner, and was greeted by as many as 100 protestors from ACTRA, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writer’s Guild and other groups calling for an immediate restoration of the $25 million cut from CTF in the February federal budget. Surrounded by a jeering crowd, the minister spoke with ACTRA stars Sonja Smits and Julie Stewart for several minutes.

‘He was a little bit political,’ Smits said afterwards, ‘but he did say he would look at the problem and see what he could do. We’ll hold him to his word.’

That same day, Liberal frontrunner Paul Martin promised to restore the missing $25 million if he becomes prime minister.

With files from Leo Rice-Barker