OTTAWA — The Directors Guild of Canada wants to know where the four major political parties stand on cultural policy. In writing, now.

‘The last few federal elections have featured a lamentable lack of cultural policy issues in the election debates,’ explains Brian Anthony, the DGC’s national executive director and CEO. ‘We feel that, given the contribution of the cultural sector at large — and, in particular, the film, TV and new media component — this is far too important a set of issues to be ignored, as has been the case.’

The call comes one day after Prime Minister Stephen Harper called an election for Oct. 14. As each party responds, their answers will be posted at www.dgc.ca.

The DGC has sent letters to the parties and their research units. Included in the correspondence are a series of policy questions. For instance, the guild wants to know where the parties stand on increased federal investment in Canadian film, TV and new media.

‘We would also like to see them address a more creative and expanded use of the federal tax regime to encourage private-sector investment,’ Anthony says. Copyright policy is another issue that the DGC wants answers about.

So far, none of the federal parties have responded . ‘We just pushed the button on [Monday], so we were not expecting an immediate response,’ Anthony tells Playback Daily.

Once the party policy positions are posted on the web, don’t expect the DGC to comment on them. ‘We are deliberately neutral and nonpartisan,’ he says.