Members 2200 Office location Toronto, Ontario | Affiliation IAWG Country Canada | |
Full name Writers Guild of Canada Key people Maureen Parker, executive director | ||
The Writers Guild of Canada is an organization representing more than 2,200 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the Guild write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of the Week, documentaries, animation, comedy and variety series, children's and educational programming, radio drama, as well as corporate videos and digital media productions. The organization administers the Canadian Screenwriting Awards.
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The WGC is the voice of professional Canadian screenwriters - lobbying on their behalf, protecting their interests, and working to raise the profile of screenwriters and screenwriting. Most importantly, on behalf of its members, the Guild negotiates, administers and enforces collective agreements, setting out minimum rates, terms, and working conditions in the Guild’s jurisdiction — all English-language production in Canada. The central collective agreement, the Independent Production Agreement (IPA), is negotiated between the Guild and the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), the association representing independent producers in Canada. In addition to the IPA, the Guild also has agreements in place with the APFTQ, CBC Radio, CBC Television, CTV, the NFB and TVOntario. The WGC is formally recognized as the official bargaining agent for English-language professional screenwriters under the federal Status of the Artist Act and Quebec’s Status of the Artist Legislation.
The Guild is a member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds, comprising: the Australian Writers' Guild, The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, The Writers Guild of America (East & West), Societe des Auteurs, Recherchistes, Documentalistes et Compositeurs (Quebec) and the New Zealand Writers Guild.
The WGC also serves the industry by:
History
In 1943 The Association of Canadian Radio Artists was formed in order to establish better working conditions and wages for radio performers. Writers joined in on this organization, and over the next decade the organization transformed into the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists.
By 1984 the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) was formed to better include the other areas of the broadcasting industry. From this organization, other Guilds formed and matured. Most notably the ACTRA Performer’s Guild, Writers Guild of Canada, and ACTRA Media Guild. In 1993 The Writers Guild of Canada left ACTRA and became an independent union.
The Writers Guild of Canada, however, is different from the traditional union. There is no central workplace in the writing industry, and members are not employees, they are independent contractors. This creates legal complications as Provincial labour legislation states that only employees, not independent contractors (with exception of construction workers), can bargain as a collective. This means that WGC members are bound to very tight restrictions in order to protect their rights and their work.
Governance
Two bodies govern the Guild jointly: a seven-member council and a fifteen-member national forum. Both the council and the national forum are made up of elected Guild members. These members are elected from Canada’s five regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Central, Western and Pacific). Terms last for two years. The council oversees activities and sets Guild policies, while the national forum meets annually with the council and the executive staff to add their input. The Guild’s executive staff is in charge of managing the Guild’s day-to-day operations. The Executive director of the Guild is Maureen Parker. Council Members:
Membership
You are qualified to join the WGC if you:
Membership fees are dependent on when you join:
Benefits of Membership:
Funding Initiatives and Awards
The Writers Guild runs a program called the Diverse Screenwriters Program in collaboration with Bell Media. This program is geared towards encouraging diversity within the Canadian artistic landscape. The program is divided into two sessions, one for Eastern Canada and one for Western Canada. Up to eight up-and-coming screenwriters participate in each weeklong session or training, and two are offered a paid internship as a writer on one of Bell Media’s TV shows. Participants are also connected with an experienced scriptwriter for three months in order to hone their pitching skills and ideas.
These awards have been given out since 1996 to honor the achievements of Guild members in television, film, short film, documentary and writing for the web.
This award is given annually to a female screenwriter who already has several writing credits and a current project in the works. The award gives this screenwriter $5000 to develop a self-initiated project. The winner of the 2012 award will be announced in December.
The Jim Burt Prize rewards promising unproduced feature-length screenplays that tell uniquely Canadian stories. The award is named for the late Jim Burt, who was known to champion Canadian films such The Boys of St. Vincent and The War Between Us during his time at the CBC. The winner is awarded a $1,500 cash prize and $2,000 to go towards an experienced story editor to help in the development of their work.
This annual award is given to an exemplary writer/producer that has success in applying their creative vision to the screen.
Recipients:
2012: Mark McKinney
2011: Tassie Cameron
2010: Heather Conkie
2009: Mark Farrell
2008: Peter Mohan
2007: Brad Wright
Writers can nominate a person that has helped them get a start in the industry. This could be anyone, from a teacher to a producer to a story editor.
The recipient of this award is decided by the Council and is someone who has contributed significantly to the Writers Guild and the Canadian screenwriting community.