The opposition Liberals have promised public hearings in the Senate over Bill C-10, and a possible amendment to the controversial tax-credit legislation for the House of Commons to review.

‘Thankfully the bill is still in front of a Senate committee that can give this important issue the close scrutiny it deserves,’ said Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette late Wednesday, with a nod to the banking committee that has delayed a third and final reading of Bill C-10.

‘If necessary, we will not hesitate to offer amendments to ensure the tax code is not abused in this manner,’ she added.

The 11-member committee is chaired by Conservative David Angus, and has a busy schedule, so industry reps don’t expect to appear before it until April at the earliest.

The Liberal vow to help void Bill C-10 came amid a series of parliamentary maneuvers as the film and TV industry steps up its opposition to the censorship measures put forth by the ruling Conservatives.

A Bloc Québécois motion that would have had the House of Commons remove the offending censorship provision in Bill C-10 failed after the Liberals withheld support.

The Liberals instead prefer that the Senate, which they control, act as a firewall to Bill C-10, which proposes that Heritage Minister Josée Verner be allowed to claw back tax credits from productions deemed offensive.

During Wednesday’s debate, Verner reiterated that Bill C-10 was not new, had all-party support when it passed through the House of Commons last October, and aimed at accountability.

‘It’s important that we set objectives so that we can ensure Canadian taxpayer money will not be used to fund productions that are against public policy,’ she argued.

Behind the scenes, the Canadian Film and Television Industry Council — an industry grouping of unions and guilds, producers, broadcasters, distributors and other stakeholders — sent a letter to the heritage minister on Wednesday.

‘While we support certain aspects of Bill C-10 that relate to the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, we unequivocally oppose the ‘public policy’ provision as currently proposed in the Bill,’ the group wrote. ‘The industry has not had an opportunity to comment on the proposed wording of the referenced ‘guidelines’ and, therefore, can not be expected to blindly support the provision.’

The industry also mounted a series of informal meetings with bureaucrats and politicians.

Representatives of the banking community that routinely lends deficit financing to indie producers against tax credits met with CAVCO officials to voice concerns about the potential economic impact of Bill C-10.

Film and TV unions and guilds met Thursday with CAVCO and Heritage officials in Ottawa.

The unions and guilds heard that the proposed guidelines, still unspecified, would mirror existing guidelines in other jurisdictions, including books and magazines. The apparent intent is to focus on gratuitous violence, sex with no educational purpose, ‘and any other offensive material.’

CAVCO officials also said key industry lenders, including the Royal Bank of Canada, were told that a transition period for the new tax-credit rules would be introduced, and that the changes would not be retroactive.