Minister Joly Meets with Creative Sector Organizations in Montréal to Better Support the Fight Against Sexual Harassment

The Government of Canada joins efforts to ensure respect for human dignity

MONTREAL, Jan. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, participated in a meeting hosted by Telefilm Canada on the topic of harassment in the workplace in the creative sector. On January 5, Minister Joly requested the review of Canadian Heritage funding policies to encourage organizations to put in place measures that promote safe and harassment-free workplaces.

During the meeting today, the Minister spoke with representatives from several organizations about finding long-term solutions to ensure safe workplace environments. . The stakeholders who met today agree on the need to work together to address concerns and promote a healthy work environment for all.

The meeting hosted by Telefilm Canada was attended by Telefilm Canada representatives, the Canada Media Fund, the National Film Board of Canada, the Association québécoise de la production médiatique, the Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices de film du Québec, Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma and the Union des artistes.

These stakeholder discussions are part of an ongoing series of industry initiatives aimed at finding concrete solutions.

The Minister reiterated her support for these industry-shared approaches and committed to working with partners within the creative sector to ensure the health, safety and dignity of those working in arts and culture in Canada.

Canadian Heritage aims to find ways to support workers by moving forward with projects such as toolkits and sharing of best practices, in order to provide the creative sector with the resources required to address workplace harassment issues.

Quotes

"Each and every Canadian deserves respect. The #metoo movement is not a passing moment: it's a call to action. As a Minister and as a woman, this issue is close to my heart, and I am committed to doing my part to tackle issues of harassment in the arts and culture sector. I extend my wholehearted support to victims, and I am confident that together we will find solutions to eradicate this serious problem. I would like to thank Telefilm Canada for taking the lead on this important issue."

?The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"Telefilm Canada is committed to working with industry in order to develop viable solutions. This approach has helped us achieve positive results in terms of gender equality in our industry, and we believe it is the best direction going forward. These calls to action reinforce our vision and our goal to build, together, a healthy and motivating industry for all."

?Carolle Brabant, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada

Related Products

Statement on the Importance of ?Harassment-free Work Environments in the Creative Sector

SOURCE Canadian Heritage