Many players in the Canadian production community are putting on a brave face in the wake of the Conservative Party’s unsurprising victory in the Jan. 23 federal election. But don’t let that fool you – privately, many are expressing some grave concerns. These range from the new heritage minister to potential funding cuts and greater deregulation of the broadcast industry.

On these fronts, anyway, I say, ‘Fear not the Tories.’ For now.

‘If the Conservatives get in, we’re screwed,’ one production stakeholder told me. They were not looking forward to Bev Oda jumping from heritage critic to heritage minister and overseer of cultural funding, arguing that Oda does not listen to the concerns of the production industry. Well, that remains to be seen. Some fret over the mere fact that she is a Conservative. (It is worth noting that the Tories did not win one seat in any of Canada’s three major production centers.) Some are apprehensive about her friends in high places. Canadian Association of Broadcasters head Glenn O’Farrell and Corus Entertainment president John Cassaday were among those who sponsored a fundraiser for Oda last May, giving the impression that media moguls, constantly pushing for broadcasting deregulation, have her ear.

First, let’s consider Oda’s credentials. She has worked in the broadcast industry for more than 25 years, holding posts at TVOntario, Rogers Communications, CHUM and Global Television. She has been a senior VP at CTV, a CRTC commissioner, and chair of The Harold Greenberg Fund. Her CV makes her, in fact, a highly qualified, natural choice for the heritage job, especially considering that some who have held that post in the past were very green indeed to the film and television world.

Fears that a Tory government – and a minority one, for that matter – which was elected partially on a philosophy of tax-cutting, will take its axe to production funding any time soon are likely ill-founded. First of all, this is a party that hasn’t run the country for 13 years – and the last time it did it was a different entity, the Progressive Conservatives, pre-merger with the Canadian Alliance. The young government has a steep learning curve ahead, and aside from setting about to try to honor its election platform – one in which cultural issues barely registered – many things will remain status quo for the foreseeable future.

Besides, Oda has publicly stated on several occasions that she and her government would honor the federal contribution to the Canadian Televison Fund and continue supporting the domestic film and television industry. And why wouldn’t they? It is, after all, a $5-billion per year business.

And further, measures put in place by the Liberals have met with success. In 2000, then-heritage minister Sheila Copps pledged $100 million per year to the Canada Feature Film Fund, with the goal that Canadian movies would account for 5% of the total national box office in five years’ time. Well, now come Telefilm Canada’s box office figures for 2005 (see story, p. 2), which indicate, in the fifth year of the plan, a Canuck take at the till of 5.2%. The strategy worked, albeit with a major caveat: these numbers were achieved on the backs of French-Canadian productions, which claimed a 25.6% market share, while English-Canadian productions could only muster 1.1%. It is an imbalance that still needs to be addressed, but at least the overall numbers show that growth is possible in our production business, and such initiatives are well worth supporting.

Meanwhile, some TV production stakeholders are taking the opportunity of the Tories’ arrival to renew their calls to have the CRTC revisit its 1999 Television Policy and reimpose broadcaster expenditure requirements. In the end, they might be barking up the wrong tree. Digital advances – such as VOD, IPTV, and downloading programs to mobile devices – will by necessity make broadcasters cozy up to Canadian producers once again. The private casters may make their traditional bread and butter off U.S. imports, but they don’t have the rights for these programs on these new platforms. To survive, they are going to have to generate far more original content.

Down the road, once the Tories get their legs – and if they are re-elected in a majority – then we might see some changes of substance. Top of mind will be a cold hard look at the CBC, which they want to be more ‘balanced’ and ‘accountable,’ and loosening regs on foreign ownership of domestic media companies, which many argue merits serious consideration in today’s global market. But until then, don’t focus on the Tories, because there are other matters that are far more pressing.