A new bill that would give the federal Heritage Department the power to deny funding for films and TV shows it considers offensive is creating shock waves in the industry.
Changes now before the Senate to the Income Tax Act that would allow the federal government to cancel tax credits for projects thought to be offensive or not in the public interest. The amendments have already been passed in the House of Commons.
The amendment to Bill C-10 would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits for Canadian productions, even if federal agencies such as Telefilm and the Canadian Television Fund have invested in the production.
Representatives from the Heritage and Justice departments would determine which productions are unsuitable and therefore ineligible for tax cuts.
David Cronenberg, the Canadian director behind the critically acclaimed Eastern Promises, said the proposed plan doesn't belong in Canada.
"It sounds like something they do in Beijing," he told CBC News.
Full story
Is this censorship or a way to ensure that public funds are not invested in certain types of material, such as hate propaganda, excessively violent material, or pornography?
More...
Changes now before the Senate to the Income Tax Act that would allow the federal government to cancel tax credits for projects thought to be offensive or not in the public interest. The amendments have already been passed in the House of Commons.
The amendment to Bill C-10 would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits for Canadian productions, even if federal agencies such as Telefilm and the Canadian Television Fund have invested in the production.
Representatives from the Heritage and Justice departments would determine which productions are unsuitable and therefore ineligible for tax cuts.
David Cronenberg, the Canadian director behind the critically acclaimed Eastern Promises, said the proposed plan doesn't belong in Canada.
"It sounds like something they do in Beijing," he told CBC News.
Full story
Is this censorship or a way to ensure that public funds are not invested in certain types of material, such as hate propaganda, excessively violent material, or pornography?
More...