The Quebec government has appointed Senator Francis Fox to mediate the standoff between the AQTIS and IATSE.

The Liberal senator and Montrealer has been asked by Quebec Culture Minister Line Beauchamp to make recommendations about the dispute between the technical unions, which came to a head last month when the US$75-million movie Jumper leapt from Montreal to Toronto, leaving each side blaming the other for the loss.

The New Regency picture was supposed to have an IATSE crew, but AQTIS maintains that, under Quebec law, only it can represent film and TV technicians in the province. The film is thought to have left because of the controversy, though its producers have not commented.

‘We welcome this initiative by the minister,’ says AQTIS interim head Céline Daignault, going on to note that she has already met with Fox and IATSE representatives. She declined further comment, saying only ‘the senator has asked us for discretion.’

IATSE representatives did not return calls for comment.

The U.S.-based union is looking to establish a presence in Quebec and recently opened a local, number 514, in Montreal. It claims to have signed up 800 members in Quebec so far.

Fox’s recommendations will not be binding. It will be up to Premier Jean Charest’s Liberals to decide what action they might take.

The Liberals have been lobbied by members of the Quebec film community to take action on the dispute, pointing to the potential loss of further revenue.

‘It is important to resolve the current deadlock,’ said Michel Desjardins, a spokesperson for the umbrella organization Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec, in a statement.

An MP from 1972-84, Fox held a number of cabinet posts, including minister of communications, and is credited with the formation of Telefilm Canada in 1984.