Episode #0144 (31 August 2008)

[Ginyu Taiko]

Just a note about CanCon (Canadian Content) in general.
The purpose of having CanCon is to reduce the amount of American programming on TV and to promote Canadian content on television.

Why is this necessary? This is because without it all of our channels would be inundated with American material. Not all American shows are bad, but without CanCon requirements, there may be less incentive for the television networks to air and create programming made in Canada.

Also, shows that were produced in America, but had Canadian dubbing (ie. Ocean dubs) would only account for 50% CanCon unlike a show which was made completely in Canada.

[VegettoEX]

Why is this necessary? This is because without it all of our channels would be inundated with American material. Not all American shows are bad, but without CanCon requirements, there may be less incentive for the television networks to air and create programming made in Canada.

Which is pretty much what we said in the episode, if I remember correctly.

Personally, I see it as nothing more than illogical, xenophobic, terrified protectionism. It's a free market. Make your material better than the competing material. I also wouldn't buy the excuse of "Wah wah, Hollywood has the money to put behind it to make it better!" Nonsense. If you have to have government-mandated rules about which content gets aired, that only means that the content creators themselves have absolutely no faith in their own work, and had to run crying to the Canadian equivalent of Uncle Sam to lock up their flawed and piss-poor business model.

Then again, universal health care.

[JulieYBM]

Why is this necessary? This is because without it all of our channels would be inundated with American material. Not all American shows are bad, but without CanCon requirements, there may be less incentive for the television networks to air and create programming made in Canada.

Which is pretty much what we said in the episode, if I remember correctly.

Personally, I see it as nothing more than illogical, xenophobic, terrified protectionism. It's a free market. Make your material better than the competing material. I also wouldn't buy the excuse of "Wah wah, Hollywood has the money to put behind it to make it better!" Nonsense. If you have to have government-mandated rules about which content gets aired, that only means that the content creators themselves have absolutely no faith in their own work, and had to run crying to the Canadian equivalent of Uncle Sam to lock up their flawed and piss-poor business model.

Then again, universal health care.

Nanny States are evil, after all. Canada's a prime example.

And to think the far-left want this for our country...

[desirecampbell]

Which is pretty much what we said in the episode, if I remember correctly.

Personally, I see it as nothing more than illogical, xenophobic, terrified protectionism. It's a free market. Make your material better than the competing material. I also wouldn't buy the excuse of "Wah wah, Hollywood has the money to put behind it to make it better!" Nonsense. If you have to have government-mandated rules about which content gets aired, that only means that the content creators themselves have absolutely no faith in their own work, and had to run crying to the Canadian equivalent of Uncle Sam to lock up their flawed and piss-poor business model.

Then again, universal health care.

The standards for what counts as "Canadian content" are pretty loose, too. As long as it's somehow connected to Canada, it counts (similar to how both telephones as basketball are Canadian inventions ).

[Ginyu Taiko]

Personally, I see it as nothing more than illogical, xenophobic, terrified protectionism. It's a free market. Make your material better than the competing material. I also wouldn't buy the excuse of "Wah wah, Hollywood has the money to put behind it to make it better!" Nonsense. If you have to have government-mandated rules about which content gets aired, that only means that the content creators themselves have absolutely no faith in their own work, and had to run crying to the Canadian equivalent of Uncle Sam to lock up their flawed and piss-poor business model.
Then again, universal health care.

I think it has more to do with the fact that Canada is in the weird situation of having such a large and powerful neighbour to the south. This quote from former prime minister Trudeau seems to sum it up.

Living next to you (America) is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.