Below-the-Line Film and Television Workers - Conseil des ...

CHRC BTL TGA - 11/14/2008 -Page 6Indeed throughout the Atlantic region there was a call for closer cooperationbetween the four provinces - as long as it is accompanied by incentives for workersto return to their home provinces once a production is complete. No provincewants to train workers only to lose them to larger production centres. Respondentssuggested regional deeming in return for structured mentoring with clearbenchmarks to measure success. There are huge potential benefits to sharingskills across a region, but to secure the buy-in of provincial governments,especially as training is a provincial responsibility, a case for building provincialcapacity may work better. A federal case might benefit from a wider view. A smartrealpolitik, based on a statistical analysis of the connection between training andindustrial growth, devised and implemented by regional, provincial, or territorialtraining coalitions is required to ensure adequate funding and the more effectivedeployment of training resources.To paraphrase the CHRC national strategy document “Fast Forward” drafted tohelp harmonize and organize training initiatives in the film and television industry:Training Gap - Federal and provincial policies and laws currently fall short in theprovision of sufficient “levers and inducements” to encourage increased and moreeffective investment by both government and industry in training.3) Recommendation - Variations of Quebec’s 1% law or Saskatchewan’s8% training administration fee should be adapted to regional realitiesand implemented.4) Recommendation – Tax incentives and other financial inducementsshould be used to encourage suppliers to make their sophisticatedsoftware and equipment widely available to below-the-line trainees.Best Practice - Quebec’s 1% law. Employers whose total payroll is $1,000,000 ormore must invest at least 1% in employee training from accredited trainers.Collected and disbursed by the RFAVQ (the Regroupement pour la formation enaudiovisuel du Quebec), a government-certified collective, the program funds payfor training and professional development programs for technicians. Producerscan allocate the 1% to the RFAVQ, to their own staff training, or they can remit the1% through their annual business taxes. Though there are some problems withthe law, for example 60-80% of film workers aren’t employees and therefore do notqualify, trainer certification is problematic, and the equitable disbursement of thefunds is sometimes a challenge - the law adjusted to address local needs is wellworth replication. British Columbia, for example, is currently working with Quebecto establish their own system based on the Quebec model.CHRC BTL TGA - 11/14/2008 -Page 6