Industry committee  Yes.

Industry committee  I'm going to let Marie Kelly answer this for you. However, a big issue in their strike was this exact issue. It affected us. Marie will be able to give you more detail.

Industry committee  We would completely lose our livelihood. We would just be replaced. We're already seeing that threat at our heels. We've heard of background performers being scanned when they're going on set, being brought to a separate room to be scanned without their knowledge or proper informed consent.

Industry committee  Good morning. I'm Eleanor Noble, the national president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this committee on behalf of the 30,000 members of our union. With me today is Marie Kelly, our national executive director.

Finance committee  I just quickly wanted to say that the EU is already ahead on this. The U.S. is behind. It would be great to have Canada up front on this issue.

Finance committee  It would be to support Canadian content. We really need the support in this country to provide incentives for creatives—performers like me, directors, writers, producers—to stay in this country. It's sad that if someone wants to have a proper career, they have to leave here. We don't have sustainable Canadian production here in this country.

Finance committee  Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of 28,000 members of ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. For 80 years, ACTRA has been representing professional performers across Canada who bring Canadian stories to life. We play a vital role in a nearly $14-billion industry that generates a quarter of a million jobs a year, but we have a major problem in Canada.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, thank you. We've included a proposal to amend proposed paragraph 3(1)(f) of the bill, which acknowledges the essential role for Canadian creators and retains the concept of the nature of the undertaking to recognize that all online services will be contributing to the creation of Canadian content.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, Mr. Vice-Chairs, committee members and staff. I'm Eleanor Noble. I'm a Canadian performer and national president of ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. Joining me today is Lisa Blanchette, ACTRA national's director of public affairs and communications.

Canadian Heritage committee  Do you want to help me out, Lisa?

Canadian Heritage committee  Production has been pretty good. We've been very impressed with how it has come back, but as I said before, we are at half capacity on our sets, so the number of people being hired is not the same. Also, when we went into the pandemic shutdown, the industry changed for performers across this country.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, we really want Bill C-11 to pass and to modernize our Broadcasting Act. It's time. We need media giants like Netflix and Disney+ to be contributing to our industry so that we can develop Canadian stories and production. We have talented Canadians writers, producers, directors and performers across this country, and we need to start producing our own work and—

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, they were impacted. Our profession is precarious by nature, and having everything cut off like that when we weren't fully up and running in the capacity that we used to be was detrimental to many members. As for the GIS, our seniors felt stabbed in the back. We got many calls from them saying that they had contacted the CRA and there were different answers for the whole thing all the time.

Canadian Heritage committee  That's correct. One of the things on our sets is that we work in close contact with each other, and when we call for “action” to record, we remove our masks. We're in a vulnerable state. We have been following protocols across the country, but the thing is that we're vulnerable in those positions.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, vice-chairs, committee members and staff. I am Eleanor Noble. I live in Tiohtià:ke, Montreal. I'm a Canadian performer and the national president of ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. On behalf of ACTRA's 28,000-plus members working in English-language screen productions across Canada, I am pleased to appear today before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to share the artists' perspective as part of the committee study of the arts, culture, heritage and sports sectors' recovery from the impact of COVID-19.