Canadian screen associations have expressed disappointment that the federal government did not address a continuation of additional funding for Telefilm Canada in its 2023 Fall Economic Statement.

The statement, published Tuesday (Nov. 21), includes billions in spending on housing and affordability measures to help offset the rising cost of living in Canada.

The Quebec producers association (AQPM) issued a statement noting that the Liberal government had included an election campaign promise to permanently increase Telefilm’s funding by $50 million annually. The government provided Telefilm $105 million in additional funding over three years in its 2021 federal budget, which is now in its third and final year.

AQPM said Telefilm’s precarious financial situation could “jeopardize the employment of thousands of producers, professionals and artisans who depend on it,” and reduce the number of feature films produced out of Canada.

The association said it has worked to raise awareness of the financing issue to Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge, as well as Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, among others.

“Sustaining increased and stable funding is essential to ensure the vitality of the Franco-Canadian audiovisual industry,” said Carol Ann Pilon, general director of the APFC (l’Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada), in a statement. “Without substantial support, the ability of Canadians to tell their stories will be compromised.”

Concerns over Telefilm’s future were also raised at the 2023 Playback Film Summit, where Eagle Vision’s Kyle Irving warned that the indie film industry is “on the edge of a cliff.”

The Fall Economic Statement also does not mention the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), which put out a public call to the federal government for an earlier funding decision after the 2023 federal budget was published. The ISO was given $40.1 million over three years in 2021. CEO Kerry Swanson told Playback Daily at the time that the organization “can’t plan for the future” without a funding commitment beyond the current fiscal year.

“The 2023 Fall Economic Statement is focused and targeted on the top priorities of Canadians: housing and affordability. And we can make these investments because our economic plan is fiscally responsible,” said Katherine Cuplinskas, senior communications advisor and press secretary to Minister Freeland. “Since 2021, the federal government has provided Telefilm Canada with $150 million.”

Updated Nov. 22 with comment from the Ministry of Finance