Ongoing COVID-19 insurance challenges put $1 billion of Canadian film and TV production at risk

Survey data shows that without swift government action, over 200 camera-ready projects and nearly 20,000 jobs are in jeopardy

OTTAWA and MONTREAL, Sept. 18, 2020 /CNW/ - Recent surveys conducted by Canada's French and English media producers associations have found that over $1 billion in production volume is at imminent risk without swift government action to address the lack of COVID-19 insurance coverage available for producers.

Producers responding to surveys from the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM), identified 214 camera-ready film and TV projects that cannot move forward because insurance companies are not offering coverage against COVID-19. These productions would directly generate 19,560 jobs.

A joint CMPA and AQPM proposal for the creation of a government-backed insurance program was submitted to the federal government in June; however, no program has yet been announced. The two groups say the sector is now facing a crisis that will have lasting negative consequences, and are urging the federal government to intervene before it's too late.

"We've met with government officials across multiple ministries to discuss our proposal, and although they acknowledge the urgency of this issue, months have passed without any action," said the CMPA's President and CEO Reynolds Mastin. "While governments in the United Kingdom, Australia, France and elsewhere have addressed the insurance issue for their production sectors, producers in Canada are losing millions – and in some cases facing bankruptcy – because of the lack of a federal program."

"The implementation of a federal government-backed insurance program is the missing piece that would allow hundreds of productions to come to life and create thousands of jobs for creators and crew members," added Hélène Messier, President and CEO of the AQPM. "Because of this unjustifiable delay, the federal government is not only jeopardizing the economic prosperity of an entire sector, but drastically reducing the number of Canadian productions on our screens in the coming months to the benefit of foreign productions."

The CMPA and AQPM independently conducted surveys of their members between August 31 to September 9, 2020. The surveys were completed by a total of 148 production companies across Canada. Summaries of the surveys' findings are below:

	Number of productions at risk	Production volume at risk ($)	Number of jobs at risk
CMPA survey	121	842,213,595	12,207
AQPM survey	93	251,265,786	7,353
Total	214	1,093,479,381	19,560

ABOUT THE CMPA
The Canadian Media Producers Association is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels. We work to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and to ensure a bright future for the diverse content made by our members for both domestic and international audiences. cmpa.ca

ABOUT THE AQPM
The Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) advises, represents and accompanies independent film, television and Web production corporations whose productions, both French and English, are recognized in Quebec and at the international level.

SOURCE Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)

Kyle O'Byrne, Manager, Media Relations & Communications, CMPA, [email protected]; Annie-Claude Boulianne, Chargée de projets, communications et web, [email protected]