Alliance numériQC defends state intervention in multimedia industry

Following is a translated letter sent by the Alliance numériQC to Quebec’s deputy minister and minister of finance Pauline Marois. Montreal, November 8, 2002 – You will hereafter find an open-letter which has been sent to the leading articles sections of Quebec’s daily newspapers in order to react to the remarks made by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Pauline Marois, who wishes to gradually eliminate the tax measures intended for certain industries, including the multimedia industry. It is still in the interest of the provincial government to support the multimedia industry. Recently, Mrs. Pauline Marois, Deputy Prime Minister of the province of Quebec, proposed to re-examine "Quebec’s model" to reduce the size of the government and to decrease the support granted to companies. We now have to admit that this vision is shared by most major political parties in Quebec, as can be seen from the very similar views expressed on the air of Radio-Canada (Le Midi 15, Nov. 7, 2002) by Mrs. Monique Jérôme-Forget of the QLP and Mr. Guy Laforêt of the ADQ party. According to an article published in Le Devoir (Nov. 7, 2002), Mrs. Marois considers that it would be better to "gradually eliminate certain tax measures intended for sectors like the multimedia and the new economy," judging that these sectors "reached a sufficient level of growth to be able to compete on the international marketplace." It is true that the vast sector gathering multimedia and information technologies took advantage of certain tax benefits related to the creation of skilled jobs, especially within the framework of the Cité du Multimédia, the Centres de développement des technologies de l’information (CTDI) and the Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec (CNNTQ). The companies certainly took advantage of these measures but, like Premier Mr. Bernard Landry said on several occasions, they were also profitable to the government, for which the establishment of new companies and the creation of new jobs resulted in important tax revenues and incidental taxation. It is also true that, at this moment, certain specialized market niches like animation, language engineering and software development tools have performed outstandingly. However, it would be an exaggeration to say that Quebec’s multimedia industry has reached a sufficient level of growth to be able to compete in the international marketplace, either in the field of software development or production of original interactive contents. Other measures aimed at collective appropriation of information technologies were introduced, which include: implementation of computers in the schools programs, connection of the families’ measures, and support of the e-business measures. Thanks to this governmental support, our companies, students and citizens are better equipped to take part in the new economy and the new culture. As Mr. Herve Fisher, Director of the Daniel Langlois chair of Concordia University said during a day devoted to the orientation of the industry: "We benefit... from an enviable, and even an excellent situation in terms of infrastructures where there is no lack of investment – this was incidentally the fastest step to realise, after the government understood it had to make it a priority. On the other hand, the province of Quebec suffers from a very serious deficit in terms of "made in Quebec" online content, which is generally dominated by our American neighbours. Specifically, after having equipped our schools with computers, we still have to produce interactive educational content in order to make the most of the advantages of multimedia in the educational process itself. After having computerized the working stations of the public service and supported the connection of households, we still have to use the multimedia to improve, accelerate and make the governmental services delivery less expensive to the population of every region of the province of Quebec. After having facilitated the equipping and the connection of the companies, we still have to develop the interactive training of the employees (eLearning). To make a long story short, the equipment, the infrastructure and the jobs have formed the foundation for the implementation of information technologies in Quebec. But, in a context of modifications made to the Quebec model, the government will always have to support and promote our culture and defend cultural diversity at the international level. More than ever, it is crucial to support the development of quality "made in Quebec" interactive content, so that Quebecers can continue to take advantage of cultural production that meets their needs and reflects their identity in the online world, and so that the multimedia industry in Quebec can ensure that it receives recognition for its creativity in the international marketplace. At a time when the European Community adopts a global vision, contributing to governments and industry in order to support the production and the distribution of its interactive digital content, it is clear that, to carve out a place on the international markets where America is dominant, Asia is very competitive and Europe is dynamic and strongly supported, Quebec’s multimedia industry must continue to take advantage, in ways adapted to the current context, of the full support of the provincial government. On behalf of Alliance numériQC, an organization representating the multimedia sector in Quebec, I invite the representatives of Quebec’s political parties to express publicly their own opinions on this subject and to start a dialogue with us, so that we can find the best ways of developing and making the most out of Quebec’s multimedia industry. Alain Aubut, Chairman of the councilAlliance numériQC andFounding PresidentDM Diffusion multimedia

Alliance numériQC defends state intervention in multimedia industry

Broadcast | November 14, 2002

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us