A  familiar face to the Canadian screen industry is stepping into the role of minister of Canadian Heritage following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s re-appointment of Pablo Rodriguez.

The minister, who previously held the portfolio from July 2018 to November 2019, takes over from Steven Guilbeault following an unsuccessful attempt to pass an amendment to the Broadcast Act with Bill C-10.

The reaction from the industry to Rodriguez’s appointment has come in swiftly, with many welcoming a minister who is already familiar with portfolio and has been outspoken in the past about plans to regulate web giants.

“We congratulate Minister Rodriguez on today’s appointment. The minister has long been a passionate advocate for Canada’s independent film and television production sector and, during his time in government, has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to bridge divides and move important files forward. We are encouraged by today’s appointment and look forward to working closely with the minister as he and the government follow through on campaign commitments to swiftly update the Broadcasting Act.”

– statement from the Canadian Media Producers Association

“The fact that he already knows the issues in the community will allow him to act with the speed required by the situation. Let us remember that in 2019 he was a valuable ally of independent producers with regard to the lack of funds available to Telefilm Canada to support French-language feature films by obtaining one-time funding of $ 7.5 million… The AQPM hopes that Minister Rodriguez will quickly implement the commitments made … during the election campaign by quickly reintroducing a reform bill to the Broadcast Act. It is high time to integrate Canadian and foreign online broadcasting services into the regulatory framework so that they participate in the financing and promotion of Canadian production. The AQPM also expects the minister to confirm his party’s promise to increase Telefilm Canada’s funding by $50 million per year on a permanent basis and to implement, as of the next budget, the commitments to double the government’s contribution to the Canada Media Fund over a three-year horizon. It should be remembered that the Liberal Party has also affirmed its desire to better balance the proportion of sums allocated by the two institutions to French-language content by reducing it from 33% to 40% of the funds available.”

– Hélène Messier, president and CEO, AQPM

“We welcome back and look forward to continuing our relationship with Minister Rodriguez to ensure First Nations, Inuit and Métis stories continue to be told in this country from an Indigenous perspective that is supported by Canadian Heritage through the Indigenous Screen Office.”

– Jesse Wente, co-executive director, Indigenous Screen Office

“After years of advocacy, the impetus for the Black Screen Office arose from a letter requesting a meeting with Stephen Guilbeault, the then minister of Canadian Heritage, to discuss how we might work together to eliminate the unacknowledged anti-Black racism in the Canadian screen industries. He heard our concerns and expressed the value he sees in system-level change. With the cabinet shuffle and Minister Guilbeault’s departure as minister of Canadian Heritage, our concern is for the future of Bill C-10, the amendments to the Broadcasting Act. There are many references in the proposed amendment to Canadians of diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds and racialized communities which held the promise of moving from aspiration to action. Our hope is that the new minister will continue to lead the charge to move these important amendments forward including the collection of race-based data and a show of support for racial equity organizations that includes core funding.”

– Joan Jenkinson, executive director, Black Screen Office

“His previous experience with this portfolio from 2018 to 2019 and as opposition critic on Heritage files, his long-standing commitment to the culture sector, coupled with his extensive international experience, make him an excellent ally to our industries. We look forward to working with the minister on the commitments made in the Liberal election platform to modernize and increase funding to the CMF to support the long-term contributions of our industry to Canada’s cultural and economic vitality.”

–  statement from the Canada Media Fund

“We look forward to working with Minister Rodriguez once again in his role as minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Rodriguez has a solid understanding of the issues facing Canada’s screen-based industry in today’s digital age. We appreciate the Government’s commitments to our industry, and we are eager to get to work. ACTRA is ready to provide Minister Rodriguez with any support he requires so he can implement these commitments as soon as possible. Our priority will be the introduction of new legislation to modernize Canada’s Broadcasting Act to ensure all broadcasters contribute equitably to the
creation and promotion of Canadian content regardless of the broadcasting platform.”

–  Eleanor Noble, president, ACTRA National

“This is a heady time for our industry with a lot at stake but also great opportunity. Having served in the role previously, Minister Rodriquez understands the potential and challenges faced by Canada’s screen sector, and the importance of working collaboratively with Canadian and global partners to support and build new opportunities at home and internationally. BANFF plays an essential role in furthering diversity and equity in our industry, as well as connecting Canadian creators, producers and media companies with global partners, and we look forward to working with Minister Rodriguez to continue on those shared mandates.”

– Jenn Kuzmyk, executive director, BANFF World Media Festival

“The federal government’s continued support for our sector during the COVID-19 pandemic has been appreciated by all in our industry. We look forward to working with Minister Rodriguez to complete the urgent mandate of modernizing federal broadcasting legislation to ensure the sustainability of our creative ecosystem and allow Canadian creators to continue telling their own stories.”

– statement from the Directors Guild of Canada

“The Writers Guild of Canada welcomes the appointment of Pablo Rodriguez as minister of Canadian Heritage by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would like to congratulate him on his new role. Minister Rodriguez passionately led Heritage in 2018 and 2019 and has a track record of effectively advocating for Canada’s cultural industries throughout his political career. We need his strong presence in Parliament more than ever to get much-needed reforms to the Broadcast Act legislated and enacted for Canadian creators. Canadian content production is at an all-time low and we need Minister Rodriguez and new legislation to lead the way.”

– Maureen Parker, executive director, Writers Guild of Canada

“We look forward to working with Minister Rodriguez once again in his role as minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Rodriguez has a solid understanding of the issues facing Canada’s screen-based industry in today’s digital age. We appreciate the Government’s commitments to our industry, and we are eager to get to work. ACTRA is ready to provide Minister Rodriguez with any support he requires so he can implement these commitments as soon as possible. Our priority will be the introduction of new legislation to modernize Canada’s Broadcasting Act to ensure all broadcasters contribute equitably to the creation and promotion of Canadian content regardless of the broadcasting platform.”

– statement from Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

“We are a global, online planet, amidst the biggest media transformation in 600 years, this is just the tip of the unstoppable Fourth Industrial Revolution that will change every other arena sworn in before Rodriguez. While he is still not a media expert, as I said in Playback, the first time he was appointed, Rodriguez deserves time and respect to see how he does (again). But his re-appointment, seems to suggest media will may not be the promised priority. Alternatively, things are in place to push through Bill C-10?”

– Irene Berkowitz, senior policy fellow, The Creative School

“During the recent federal election, Canadians sent political leaders a strong message that they care deeply about Canadian content, independent news media and professional journalism. FRIENDS looks forward to working with the new minister on these important issues. Specifically, we want to engage on the issues outlined by the Liberals during the election:

• A stronger CBC/Radio-Canada, with fewer ads;
• Compelling streaming platforms to contribute to great Canadian stories;
• Legislation that ensures that Google and Facebook compensate Canadian news organizations for their content, including the CBC;
• Action to counter online harm.

We will quickly engage with the government to ensure that they turn their promises into policy within the first hundred days on these specific campaign pledges. FRIENDS is ready to hold the Liberals to account and we look forward to working collaboratively on their promises.”

– Raymonde Lavoie, chair of the board of directors, FRIENDS

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