The name of this column is “John Cairns’ Leg Watch,” but you might think you are reading “Cairns on Cinema” based on the subject matter debated last week in the legislature.
The Saskatchewan film industry was a major topic, due to reports that circulated that the province might be ready to sell off the Saskatchewan Sound Stage in Regina, home of several Saskatchewan-based film and TV productions in the past.
Regina Elphinstone MLA Warren McCall raised the issue Monday in Question Period, with the Hon. Gene Makowsky, Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, giving the initial response on the topic of the film tax credit. That exchange was recorded in Hansard.
Mr. McCall: — … Back in 2012, the Sask Party scrapped the film employment tax credit and put our province’s once-thriving film industry on life-support. They bowled ahead with this wrong-headed cut despite the protests of the film industry, Saskatchewan people, and even the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, who in their analysis said that for over $1 million a year, this tax credit created $44 million in economic activity right across the province.
Mr. Speaker, the film industry makes us proud. It made the people of Saskatchewan millions and it created hundreds of jobs. In the upcoming provincial budget, will the Sask Party do the right thing and restore the film employment tax credit?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport.
Hon. Mr. Makowsky: —Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We appreciate the good work the film industry does and continues to do in Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker. We have Creative Saskatchewan that has been around since 2012. It helps all the creative sectors, Mr. Speaker. And this is a program that over $2 million a year is spent in the film production business, Mr. Speaker, and you know, it’s working well. I have a list here, if I have subsequent questions, of all the films that take place in our province, Mr. Speaker.
And with the changing media sector, Mr. Speaker, we’ve seen some changes from Creative Saskatchewan in order to hit the digital interactive area, Mr. Speaker, the micro-budget film feature, and the web series as well. So film entrepreneurs do a great work in our province. There’s been the Filmpool around for many decades. You know, they’re doing great work, Mr. Speaker, and that will continue with the support from Creative Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker, and again that work will continue with grants from Creative Saskatchewan. And again I’m very proud of the film industry here in our province.
The Speaker: —I recognize the member for Regina Elphinstone-Centre.
Mr. McCall: —Mr. Speaker, the Saskatchewan Sound Stage is a state-of-the-art facility where our once-thriving film industry is making its last stand. Last week, after putting out a call for anyone interested in buying up a government building, the Minister of Central Services puts what is left of the industry on edge. This facility is critical infrastructure for the film industry, and the Sask Party knows that if they privatize the sound stage it will be nearly impossible for the film industry to recover.
They’ve already done enough damage to the film industry, Mr. Speaker, and you can see that looking right across this nation. Will the Minister of Central Services or perhaps the Minister Responsible for Creative Saskatchewan stand in the Assembly today and reassure the people of Saskatchewan that the Saskatchewan-Canada Sound Stage will not be sold off?
This time it was Hon. Ken Cheveldayoff, MLA for Saskatoon Willowgrove, who rose to respond.
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Central Services.
Hon. Mr. Cheveldayoff: —Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. What we are committed to is to ensure that each one of the 660 buildings that are owned by the Government of Saskatchewan are used to their highest potential, to make sure that the occupancy rates are as high as possible, Mr. Speaker, and to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to occupy those buildings. So again, we’re committed to ensuring that each and every taxpayer’s dollar is used in a most prudent way, and that includes those 660 buildings.
Mr. Speaker, the members opposite want to talk about a number of buildings. I’ll talk to them about a number of buildings. How about the 176 schools that they closed under their watch, Mr. Speaker? How about the 52 hospitals that they closed under their watch, Mr. Speaker? And how about the 1,200 long-term care beds that they ensured were closed under their watch? Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the members opposite about how to operate government buildings.
The Speaker: —I recognize the member for Regina Elphinstone-Centre.
Mr. McCall: —Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about how he’s put 660 Saskatchewan-government-owned buildings on some kind of a review. Well I can tell you what, Mr. Speaker: there’s already been a review conducted as regards to the future of the sound stage, and that review came back with the recommendation to the government that they should get the film industry going again, Mr. Speaker.
So if that minister is interested in proper use of public assets, maybe he could look at the review that was conducted in the Ministry of Culture when that minister was responsible for the portfolio, Mr. Speaker, and follow the advice of his own ministry in terms of what it’s going to take to get our industry in the film sector back on its feet again, competing, and doing well like it is in other jurisdictions across this country, Mr. Speaker.
So again they’re looking to that minister for a reassurance that the sound stage is not going to be sold off for pennies on the dollar, Mr. Speaker. Can he give the people of Saskatchewan that assurance here today?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport.
Hon. Mr. Makowsky: —Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We continue to support the film industry, Mr. Speaker. There was tough decisions that had to be made in 2012. We have to make sure we can have our expenses taken care of, Mr. Speaker, and we don’t have an unlimited amount of money.
So, Mr. Speaker, you know, I point to the members opposite. They want to spend two and a half billion dollars that’s not been costed. So, Mr. Speaker, I think that they have several million dollars, part of that in the leader’s platform, Mr. Speaker.
So like I said, we, our entrepreneurs, do good work. I was at the independent film awards earlier this year, Mr. Speaker, and we saw great Saskatchewan stories being told through our grant program, Mr. Speaker. I mentioned if I got up again I’d show you several of these programs that are going towards film within our province. And there’s many more outside of Creative Saskatchewan: SuperGrid; A.R.C.H.I.E. 2; The Other Side; First Response, the series — there’s 11 of those; The Other Side; Sonny’s World; Canadian Newcomers; Brotherhood; Searching for Caribou; Bot Shop, Mr. Speaker. There’s several in the media development grant, the web series grant. There’s many more here, Mr. Speaker. Creative Saskatchewan continues to do great work here in our province, and our filmmakers do as well.
On Thursday, McCall resumed his attack as he brought up the issue of the potential fate of the Sound Stage again, with Cheveldayoff responding.
Mr. McCall: —... So when it comes to one building in particular, Mr. Speaker, where they’ve already done a review, where the review came back after talking to hundreds of people and said, you know, we want to keep the sound stage and improve its function and make sure that it’s there as a pillar, foundation element of the film industry, you know, you’d think that would sink in with those members. But it apparently hasn’t.
So I guess two questions for the Minister for Central Services, Mr. Speaker. Can he take the for-sale sign down off the front of the sound stage, and has he already taken meetings about what’s going to happen with the sound stage, Mr. Speaker? Can he square that for the people of Saskatchewan?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Central Services.
Hon. Mr. Cheveldayoff: —Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. No decisions have been made. I’ve requested a review of each and every one of the 660 buildings and I feel that that’s a prudent way to make sure that taxpayers’ dollars are spent.
You know what we’ve seen in the first few weeks in the House, Mr. Speaker, is the Leader of the Opposition saying that he was going to do politics differently, Mr. Speaker. What we have seen is $2.5 billion in promises, and today it appears that the list is growing, the expenditures are growing with no accounting at all to the people of Saskatchewan or to the list of those promises. Mr. Speaker, the people of Saskatchewan will want to know the cost of each and every one of those promises, and those are numbers that members opposite should be more concerned about, Mr. Speaker.
The legislature was not in session during the week of April 2, but members were due to return the week of April 9 with the provincial budget being the focus of attention.
