Ottawa has rethought and, again, tabled its thoughts on the Lincoln Report – laying out a rough plan for the future of Canada’s broadcasting policy that calls for industry-wide improvements to local and regional programming, a steady share of CTF funds for CBC, and a freeze on current foreign ownership restrictions – but which sidesteps calls for a redo of the 1999 Television Policy and for more stable CBC funding.

The 61-page response, called Reinforcing Our Cultural Sovereignty, was presented in Parliament on April 4 by Heritage Minister Liza Frulla, addressing recommendations made by Parliament’s Heritage committee in 2003. A previous, little-seen response was filed that year by Frulla’s predecessor, Sheila Copps.

The Frulla response focuses on Canadian content, governance issues and the future of broadcasting. Its major points include:

* Limits on foreign ownership of broadcasters, including satellite and cable companies, will remain unchanged at 46.7%.

* A CTF envelope will be set aside for CBC, based on the ‘historical average’ contributed to the network’s projects, roughly 40%.

* The feds are asking the CRTC to consider integrating private broadcaster funds into the CTF.

* The CRTC is directed to ensure that smaller communities have sufficient access to local and regional news programming.

* The feds and CAVCO will consult with stakeholders on possible improvements to the federal production tax credit.

But the report set aside calls for a unified Communications Act and said little about patronage appointments at CBC and the CRTC, the drama crisis, or the life expectancy of CTF, all major points of the 900-page Lincoln report.

”Careful’ is the operative word,’ says CFTPA president and CEO Guy Mayson. ‘It’s an extremely carefully written document, not committing itself to too much.’

‘There’s some nice language in there about the importance of programming, some greater recognition of the production sector, but some of the bold initiatives in the original Lincoln report… seem to be ignored.’

Many had hoped that Frulla, a co-author of the original report, would put more muscle behind its recommendations.

The CTF envelope is ‘positive news’ for CBC, says president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch, calling it a ‘first step’ toward turning out more made-in-Canada programming. But he expressed disappointment that Ottawa did not address the net’s own plan for improved regional programming – recently presented by English programming EVP Richard Stursberg – and repeated its calls for more stable, year-to-year funding.

‘The Corporation’s ability to implement this [plan] is dependent on its ability to secure adequate additional government funding,’ said the net in a statement.

Others came down hard on Frulla for dodging the contentious question of the CRTC’s 1999 Television Policy – which many blame for the downturn in drama production.

‘I must say, it is a huge disappointment,’ says Pamela Brand, national executive director of the Directors Guild of Canada. ‘This is something we’ve put a lot of work into – given the government facts, statistics, evidence… to show that without regulation the private broadcasters will not do Canadian drama.’

The DGC, together with ACTRA, the Writers Guild of Canada and other groups, is part of a coalition that has been lobbying the government on drama for two years.

‘We were hoping for more tangible action,’ Brand adds. ‘They’ve missed an ideal opportunity.’

Maureen Parker at the WGC says the response has skipped the important issues in favor of ‘housekeeping’ problems. ‘There is nothing new,’ she says. ‘It’s a lot of tweaking, administrative procedures, new reporting procedures and things that will be announced in the future.’

Some blame this on the realities of a minority government, others on the indecisiveness for which the Martin administration has become famous.

‘Canadian culture is the victim of the Martin government’s policy of dithering,’ says Peter Murdoch, national vice-president of media at CEP. ‘The government has all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of Canadian TV drama.’

But Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, is more positive, noting that despite its gaps, the response is Ottawa’s most substantive statement about broadcasting since the Mulroney years.

Frulla’s handiwork should not be compared ‘to Einstein or the Bible’ he says. ‘We’re comparing it to [that of] her immediate predecessor.’

He believes that the language of the response – in particular its talk about the importance of drama – is meant to nudge the CRTC towards rethinking its policies. The feds are choosing their words carefully, and not cracking the whip, because the CRTC is an independent body, he says.

Morrison says the decision on foreign ownership is especially significant – in that it indicates that Frulla has finally won the support of Industry Canada, ending a two-year stalemate between the ministries.

‘Liza Frulla clearly has the support of [Industry Minister] David Emerson,’ he says. ‘She can’t make that statement without his agreement.’

FCB often assigns letter grades to government figures and policies, and gives the Lincoln response a ‘B.’ It lost marks for failing to address the issue of patronage appointments at CBC and the CRTC.

The response also got nods from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, in particular for spurring the CRTC towards a more vigorous rollout of digital TV, and for letting the 1999 TV Policy stand. CAB has long opposed any changes to the policy.

‘[The federal government] is encouraging the commission… to find ways to absorb the fairly substantial costs that are attached to digital and high definition,’ says David Keeble, senior VP of policy and regulatory affairs. ‘I think it’ll open up the discussion in a way that may lead to some new solutions.

-www.pch.gc.ca