Bev Oda saw more than a few flashbulbs on election night as she and her Conservative colleagues gained office, but it was film and TV players who were left blinking, as they consider what the new government means for their futures.

In the run-up to the Jan. 23 vote – which handed a minority government to the Tories – culturecrats had, privately, expressed concerns about Oda and her boss, prime minister-designate Stephen Harper, who has previously spoken out against the CBC and the CRTC, and made calls for looser broadcasting regulations.

Oda, a former CRTC commissioner and CTV exec, is expected to be the next heritage minister, taking over for outgoing Liberal Liza Frulla, who lost her Jeanne-Le Ber riding to the Bloc Quebecois’ Thierry St-Cyr. Oda, the MP for Ontario’s Durham riding, was previously the heritage critic.

Reportedly, other possible candidates for the post include Quebec MPs Lawrence Cannon and Josée Verner.

After the vote, industry diplomats greeted the Tories with polite air kisses and renewed calls for increased, stable government funding.

‘The top priority for the DGC and for anyone is funding – for the Canadian Television Fund, for Telefilm Canada, the CBC, the National Film Board and elsewhere,’ says Pamela Brand, CEO of the Directors Guild of Canada.

She adds that there weren’t ‘a lot of details in the Conservatives’ election platform, but there’s nothing that stands out immediately to say they will cut and destroy.’

Many also expect that possible Tory cuts will be offset by the more culture-friendly Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois.

‘A Conservative minority… means that Canadian artists can expect that culture will continue to play a prominent role on the nation’s agenda,’ says Richard Hardacre, national president of ACTRA.

Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, is also comforted that the Conservatives appeared, mid-campaign, to set aside their long-standing antipathy to the CBC.

The Conservatives were the only party to mention the Ceeb in their platform. Calls to focus the CBC as a more ‘balanced’ and ‘accountable’ public broadcaster, and not to put it on the auction block, brought relief in some quarters.

So did the Conservatives’ pledge only to ‘review’ the CRTC and the Broadcasting Act, rather than gut either, as had been suggested during their Opposition days.

There was also relief that the Tories talked during the campaign of providing Canadians with more foreign-language programming, and of not allowing domestic cablecasters and other carriers access to foreign capital by easing foreign ownership rules.

Glenn O’Farrell, CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters – who cosponsored a May 2005 fundraiser for Oda with Corus Entertainment CEO John Cassaday and Rogers Communications vice-chair Philip Lind – was tightlipped after election day, beyond the usual congratulations.

The private broadcasters are still looking to stop calls from producers, writers and directors for the CRTC to reimpose spending requirements, largely to revive the drama genre. The unions, meanwhile, are pushing back.

‘We will push the Conservatives to put minimum Canadian drama spending requirements in place when broadcast licences come up for renewal over the next two years,’ says Maureen Parker, executive director of the Writers Guild of Canada.

‘As we found out in 1999, there might be more to play for,’ she adds, referring to the commission’s most recent and controversial TV policy.

But privately, broadcasters believe Oda understands their business model and will work to keep the CRTC’s current system of supporting drama through advertising incentives.

They also believe the Conservatives will allow greater foreign ownership of domestic content carriers, as long as Canadian-content obligations are preserved.

In the end, Canadian industry players believe they retain leverage in Ottawa, despite the changing of the guard.

‘I listened to Stephen Harper and he made it clear that [his government] would work with the other parties,’ says the DGC’s Brand, insisting the Conservatives will need to seek support from political rivals to stay in power.

Harper is expected to name his cabinet on Feb. 6.