Canada’s screen industries are falling short in representing people from Black, people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities communities, according to a new report from the Black Screen Office (BSO).

The “Being Seen: Directives for Creating Authentic and Inclusive Content” report consulted with over 400 members of the aforementioned communities, including those who work within the Canadian film, television and digital media industry and members of the general public. It found while some participants felt they did have some on-screen representation, it was not authentic, while others did not see themselves at all.

Participants said they want authentic storytelling that includes complexity of storylines and characters, and moves away from tokenism and stereotypes, especially if the identity is framed in the context of trauma. They also want better representation of communities so the diversity within them can be seen and understood. Those findings speak to a need for “a greater understanding of intersectionality, and an integrated analysis of how social and political identities create overlapping systems of oppression and disadvantage,” says the report.

The report says responsibility for complexity in storytelling lies with many roles — from screenwriters and producers, to broadcaster/digital platforms/streaming services, distributors and funders — who should demand that stories and characters fully reflect communities and identities. Several directives are outlined in the report for how to handle that responsibility. The report also offers guidance on the subject of telling a story from outside one’s community.

Other core themes explored in the report include the importance of authentic casting and what can be done to achieve it; the impact of poor or missing representation on Canadian audiences; recommendations for structural changes to increase authenticity; and regional differences in responses to the core themes questions.

Participants generally felt more needs to be done to both cast authentically and provide work opportunities to performers from underrepresented identities so they can develop their skills. However, there was a recognition from performers, creators and producers that performers do not want to be limited in the roles that they can play. The report suggests looking at questions of equity and systemic barriers that might prevent an actor from getting work opportunities because of their identity.

When it comes to the impact that poor or missing representation has on an audience, the report concludes “they stop watching or engaging.” Participants said they do not watch mainstream film or TV because they do not see themselves, or they watch shows from other markets — or YouTube or streamers like Netflix — where the content might be more representative of their identity.

Providing opportunities and training to underrepresented creators to support their career paths is among the structural changes needed to increase authenticity, says the report, which notes that structural change “also needs to happen throughout the system and not just focused on creating a larger, more diverse talent pool of skilled creators.” It says funding for those structural changes, such as job shadowing and on-set accommodations, should be line items in the budget that funders agree are acceptable production costs.

As for regional differences, participants in British Columbia expressed frustration with the industry in Vancouver being so far from the demographics of Vancouver itself. In the Prairie provinces, the demographics of Black and people of colour have increased over the years but “it is still challenging to fill crews and hire key creatives from underrepresented communities.” And Quebec has “unique challenges for Black, people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities communities,” says the report, noting that participants said they face greater challenges in achieving authentic representation in the province than in the rest of Canada.

The BSO says forthcoming companion reports specific to children’s media and to Black, people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities communities will dig deeper into issues specific to those reports.

The organization says it will work with industry stakeholders through a collaborative network to initiate the structural changes mentioned in the consultation, which many participants said was the first time anyone had asked them how they felt about what they were seeing on Canadian screens.