The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has set next Tuesday (April 23) as the deadline for a strike authorization vote while in negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).

Eligible WGC members have until 3 p.m. ET that day to cast their vote, according to the WGC’s social media accounts. The guild was not able to provide additional details due to a media blackout on negotiations, which the CMPA is also subject to.

The WGC issued a notice to members last week, with the WGC Council and Negotiating Committee recommending members vote yes to a strike authorization vote to aid in its bargaining process with the CMPA over the Independent Production Agreement (IPA). The guild emphasized that a majority yes vote doesn’t not mean there will automatically be a strike.

The sticking points in negotiations include compensation for animation writers, protections against artificial intelligence (AI) and minimum participation of writers in production.

While the WGC and the CMPA have been unable to disclose details publicly, members of the WGC have taken to social media to outline key issues. In a series of posts on X, screenwriter and WGC Council member Jason Filiatrault said the guild has requested a minimum of one story editor be present on set during productions. The posts also claim that the CMPA is negotiating stipulations in the IPA to allow the use of WGC scripts to train AI, as well as use AI tech to create concepts and development materials.

The CMPA was unable to respond to a request for comment. It has previously stated in an update to members, obtained by Playback, that “we believe strongly that future Canadian projects should be written by Canadian writers, not algorithms.”

The producers association has previously told members that it has offered “substantively the same protections regarding AI that were achieved by the WGA,” but has not provided further details on what the differences are.

Image: Unsplash