Quebec film and TV producers have invited opposition leader Stephane Dion to reveal his vision for Canada’s audiovisual industry at their annual conference, which opened Sunday and runs until Wednesday in Quebec City. Dion is to speak at a dinner Tuesday night.

‘We want to hear what he has to say if he gets in power,’ APFTQ conference organizer Celine Pelletier told Playback Daily.

Encouraged by Dion’s public opposition to the Conservative party’s Bill C-10, the APFTQ want the Liberal leader to describe how he will help the feature film community and deal with upcoming regulatory issues at the CRTC, which completed a three-week public hearing into television policy last week and plans to look at the Internet before the end of 2008.

‘Regulation and financing Quebec film are our two priorities,’ says Pelletier.

The principal theme of this year’s conference is the Internet, particularly the content-consuming habits of the 10-34 demographic, explains Pelletier. ‘It’s an audience that’s very difficult to understand. They aren’t into TV. We want to find out who they are and what they want.’

The APFTQ have invited Toronto-based youth and pop culture expert Max Valiquette to share his insights on this elusive niche market. The president of Youthography will on Tuesday also discuss how young Quebecers’ consuming habits differ from those of their English-language counterparts.

Experts working in three burgeoning Internet VOD platforms will also talk about the commercial potential of delivering content in cyberspace: Vodeo.tv, a French site which bills itself as having the biggest catalog of current affairs shows and documentaries on the web; Heavy.com, a shock video site aimed at 18-34 year olds; and Quebecor’s Canoe.tv, which features content from the media giant’s specialty channels. ‘We’re interested in these new models. Basically we want to figure out when the Internet is going to be profitable,’ explains Pelletier.

CRTC VP Michel Arpin will also speak to the producers gathered in Quebec City. ‘We want to find out what the CRTC’s intentions are when it comes to the Internet,’ explains Pelletier. ‘They have to establish some sort of policy in the future. We are concerned that a two-tier system is starting to emerge, with television being regulated and Internet left alone. There need to be regulations for Canadian content on the Internet and compensation for that kind of production.’

Over 300 film and television producers are expected to attend the conference, which takes place at Quebec’s Musee de beaux-arts.