The following is an excerpt from the official translation of a speech delivered by Leader of the Opposition Stéphane Dion at the annual conference of the Association des Producteurs de Films et de Télévision du Québec in Quebec City on April 29.

In October 2003, when I accompanied the Governor General of Canada on her state visit to Russia, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Les invasions barbares [The Barbarian Invasions] in front of a full house. What struck me the most that evening, apart from the Moscow audience’s standing ovation at the end of the film, was the relevance of the questions they asked [the movie’s director and producer] Denys Arcand and Denise Robert after the screening. This Russian audience seemed to be intimately familiar not only with the work of Arcand, but also with Quebec’s culture and society, thanks to our films. As a result, they became friends of Canada, and were more likely to listen to other messages we might have for them, whether of a political, economic or other nature.

I still remember that evening today, and I recall how proud I was to be so effectively represented by a Quebec artist. I firmly believe that if we want Canada to be present, admired and influential on the world stage, and if we want all Canadians to be able to benefit from this presence, then it is important that our dreams, our visions, our stories and our creators – in a word, our culture – be clearly on display.

This explains why, when the Conservative government eliminated the Public Diplomacy Program that promoted our artistic creations abroad and at the same time contributed to our diplomatic efforts, I swore not only to restore the program, but to increase funding for international promotion of the arts. Yes, a Liberal government will make cultural promotion an important aspect of Canada’s activities abroad. And it will do so by immediately reinstating the $23 million slashed by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

Likewise, here in Quebec City, my home town, at a time when the motion picture Dans une galaxie près de chez vous 2 has just generated a million dollars at the box office in 10 days, at a time when the Canadian film Blindness has just been selected to open the Cannes Film Festival, at a time when another Canadian film, Atom Egoyan’s Adoration, has just been included in the official competition in Cannes, and when our audiovisual creative efforts have been making their mark in so many different ways, I take great pride in being the guest speaker at the annual congress of the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec. Thank you for this honor.

But the question that needs to be asked is why, precisely when there are so many challenges to be met, such as the strong Canadian dollar and the decreased leverage of public funds for audiovisual production, is why in addition to all that, must you be saddled with the threat of censorship?

And this is being done in such a covert manner, buried in a 600-page omnibus bill, Bill C-10! The House of Commons missed it completely. It was only discovered in committee in the Senate. Only a few words! A Canadian film or video production certification would only be issued if: ‘the Minister is satisfied that…public financial support of the production would not be contrary to public order.’ Otherwise, the tax credit could be taken away, even retroactively. It’s back to Duplessis! Censorship and financial asphyxia: what lender would take the risk of investing in a film when its tax credit could be withdrawn at a later date because the minister is unhappy about it? This could happen here in Canada. What would we look like? Like the small village in the film Cinema Paradiso. That’s what!

You are right to be outraged. When your association representatives appeared before the Senate committee on banking trade and commerce, they recommended that only a straightforward reference to the Criminal Code be included in the bill. Senator Fox and I wish to assure you that our colleagues in the Senate will study your suggestion very closely.

But what are the Conservatives up to, with this attempt to introduce censorship in the name of public order? To find out, just listen to their own words.

Conservative MP Dave Batters from Saskatchewan would like to see ‘the making of films for mainstream Canadian society.’ And the inescapable Pierre Poilièvre, the MP for Ottawa-Nepean, said: ‘If famous actors and actresses want to produce material that is offensive to the majority of Canadians, they can do it on their own dime, not on the backs of Canadian taxpayers.’

But isn’t the purpose of artistic creation to stimulate and stir up the majority, not to cater to it all the time?

No wonder Charles McVety, the evangelic crusader, said: ‘We’re thank-ful that someone is finally listening.’

I could also quote Conservative Senator David Angus: ‘She [Minister Josée Verner] told me she hates the bill.’

But if she hates this bill, why does she not withdraw it? Unless she can’t bear to part with her limo. Indeed, what are any of Stephen Harper’s ministers allowed to do on their own initiative?

But what can you expect from a government that censors its own Environment Canada scientists – the experts on climate change; a government whose obsession with secrecy has been condemned by the Information Commissioner; a government that manipulates information on an issue as important as the risks of torture in Afghanistan; a government that cancels the distribution of a booklet designed to make young people aware of the dangers of drugs, with a preface written by Health Minister Couillard?

I could cite many other examples, but I’ll stop here. I’d rather tell you this: we Liberals, unlike the Conservatives, believe that artistic freedom is good public policy.

We also believe in you, providers of dreams and happiness. You, who live and work in the real world, and have to face the hard realities of risk and competition. The uncertainty you face is exacerbated by the Conservative government, not only through Bill C-10, but also through their lack of commitment to the Canadian Television Fund.

We will acknowledge the challenges facing the Quebec film and television industry. You said it yourselves at the roundtables that we organized on culture: despite the box-office successes of recent years, the future of motion pictures in Quebec is far from secure. Resources are inadequate, a growing number of projects will never come to pass, and fewer films are being shown. The cost of making movies is increasing because of inflation and the stagnation of available funds, leading to a significant decline in the volume of productions in Quebec, and the attendant drop in the number of jobs.

I am firmly convinced that one of the goals of a responsible federal government should be to stop the decline in the number of Canadian film productions. The ambitious goal of a Liberal government will be to increase the number of quality productions that win awards both here and abroad. And to work towards this goal, a Liberal government will substantially increase funding for film and television production in Canada. We will announce these funding levels in our election platform.