(above image courtesy The Hackits Live at Eton Tavern featuring Jon Nye & Dave Vaughan)
Before you go any further, you need to familiarize yourself on the situation. Go here and then here. I’ll wait.
Got it? You can see why this is turning into a cultural and political war. Even though the net effect won’t be as great as most people might think, it’s still an unfriendly and highly misguided plan that has already made Canada a bit of a joke in the eyes of the music industry.
What’s that you say? This is supposed to help Canadian musicians find more work? Funny how the Canadian Independent Music Association–a group that you’d think would be partial to protectionist measures for its membership–doesn’t see it that way.
No, they hate it. They think this whole thing is bullshit, too.
CIMA is working diligently on behalf of its members and the industry, explaining to the federal government why these new fees are wrong, and how they will affect the broader Canadian music industry. We believe that the impact of the new fees are an unintended consequence of the Government’s changes to the rules governing its Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
CIMA is also questioning the Government’s rationale on why they singled our bars and restaurants, small businesses which are breeding grounds for home-grown talent. Our position is this fee should be waived for all international artists and their professional entourage, regardless of where they will be performing (ie festival or bars).
At this stage, we feel it is important for the government to know that their new rules will not ‘protect’ Canadian artists or save jobs here at home. Rather, CIMA is emphasising that the rules will have a detrimental and cascading effect through the entire industry, and at the end of the day may result in the loss of jobs and the loss of business opportunities both in Canada and internationally.
Read CIMA’s whole position here. Then barrage your local MP with a message that says “Stop the bullshit.”
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