Writers Guild of Canada Studying Tentative WGA Deal for Precedent in Local Contract Talks

Etan Vlessing
·2 min read

The Writers Guild of Canada has applauded its sister organization Writers Guild of America’s tentative deal with major Hollywood studios and streamers, which could set the pattern for upcoming Canadian writer-producer contract renewal talks.

“We will be looking very closely at the details of the deal,” WGC executive director Victoria Shen said in a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. In October, the WGC will start its own negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association, representing local indie producers.

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In June 2022, the WGC and CMPA extended their Independent Production Agreement, which governs workplace conditions and pay rates, for 18 months. The current IPA contract is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2023.

On Monday, the Canadian writers guild praised the WGA deal and added its members supported the U.S. writers guild by refusing struck work and rallying in solidarity both in Canada and the U.S.

“We applaud the WGA for their strength and collective resolve throughout this strike,” WGC president Alex Levine added in his own statement. The WGC and ACTRA, which represents English-language actors in Canada outside of British Columbia, have agreements with the CMPA over rules and pay rates for homegrown films and TV series shot by Canadian producers.

Unlike the U.S., where the major studios mostly drive film and TV production, in Canada indie producers support and hold the rights to the bulk of local content creation for global distribution.

At the same time, with the major studios and streamers in recent years increasing their share of local Canadian film and TV production, especially in key production hubs like Toronto and Vancouver, local writers, including those with dual U.S. and Canadian passports, increasingly share many of the bargaining table issues currently facing the WGA, including smaller writer rooms, shorter contracts and the introduction of artificial intelligence tools.

With the separate Hollywood actors strike still to be resolved, the WGC called for an end to that labor action as well. “The combined strikes have had a detrimental impact on production in Canada. While we wait for the WGA deal to be released and ratified, we hope for a speedy resolution with SAG-AFTRA,” the Canadian writers guild said.

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