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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1987-04-29, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1987. Opinion Putting ourselves in movies Late next month, if all goes as scheduled, some people from this area will be taking part as extras in a movie being shot in Blvth: Blue City Slammers. If the rules of the movie business stay the same, however, it’s not likely they’ll ever get to see th cm selves on a movie or theatre screen, even though the movie is being shot for theatrical release. Last year Canadians paid $1 billion to see movies but only three percent of all movies shown in Canada were Canadian made. While we’re used to seeing movies on television only after they 're run in theatres, then pay-TV and video tape release, probably the first chance people in Blue City Slammers will have a chance to see themselves on the screen will be on television. Canadian movies are generally blocked out of wide-spread distribution to movie theatres because the distributors of movies are the same Hollywood companies that make movies. Flora MacDonald, federal communications minister wants to change that by passing a bill that would allow U.S. major studios to have distribution in Canada only of movies they finance themselves. The other pictures, pictures like Crocodile Dundee and Platoon, which were made by independent producers, would be reserved for distribution by Canadian companies. Her hope is that Canadian distributing companies would then be able to in vest their profits in producing Canadian movies as well as getting more Canadians movies on the screen. This will not happen if powerful U.S. movie industry officials have their way. Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Export Association of America was in Ottawa last week to argue against the bill with Ms. MacDonald. He got the meeting because his friend U.S. President Ronald Reagan pushed the issue with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney during the recent summit. Mr. Valenti admitted other countries are watching this movie by Canada and ‘ ‘This could very well ruin our global film trade." Mr. Valenti was honest, at least. There was no talk about "fairness" at least, just about self-interest of American movie companies. Fairness is the argument that makes Canadians weak at the knees. We want to be fair above all else and so if the U.S. government argues that something isn ’ t fair, that our laws are in the interest of Canada but not fair by their determination of the rules, we quickly agree to change things as in the Foreign Investment Review Agency and the National Energy Policy. What Canadians have to learn is that fairness is not a determination to Americans pushing for us to change our laws. These good free enterprisers care only about getting a good deal. Fairness in cultural policy? How about new immigration policies that makes it impossible for all but the biggest name Canadian entertainers to get into the U.S. to perform in concert or plays? Last year, even before these new tighter rules, only 5,000 Canadian entertainers got work permits in the U.S. while 20,000 visas were given to Americans to work in Canada. Ms. MacDonald has been acting like an Amercian, determined to make a policy that is in the best interests of Canadians. Giventhepressuretobe “fair" in free trade negotiations, given the Prime Minister’s desire to be liked, the big question is whether Ms. MacDonald will be able to protect Canadian interests or will she lose the battle. Seeing movies like Blue City Slammers on movie screens, seeing movies with peopleyouknowaboutthingsyou know, depends on her ability not to get blown away by pressure from Hollywood to protect its own monopoly. Magazines get burned The biggest losers, besides the tobacco companies, in the Federal government’s ban on tobacco advertising announced last week will be the Canadian magazine industry. Canadian magazines, never the healthiest in the best of times, will lose a major part of their advertising with the ban. Ironically, Canadian newstands, long dominated with imported American magazines will continue to have ads like the ones that show "liberated" modern women smoking cigarettes headlined, "You’ve come a long way baby". The magazines, like farmers who have to grow crops here without the use of chemicals that are allowed in the U. S. or other competing countries, are the victims of government that say "you have to compete ’ ’, then sets different rules for us than our foreign competitors. Let's be fair A U.S. court decided last week that Bill Player, wanted for fraud in Canada over the great apartment flip would be extradited to Canada. It’s ironic that Player was hiding out in Flroida and that the state decided to extradite. A few years ago a Canadian wanted for fraud in Florida was kidnapped by bounty hunters to be taken back to face cnarges and caused a major international incident. Maybe if the Canadian legal system co-operated more as the Americans have done, we wouldn’t have such embarrassing incidents. Buzz off, bossy - this is mine, ail mine! Mabel’s Grill There are people who will tell you that the important decisions in town are made down at the town hall. People in the know, however know that the real deoates, the real wisdom reside down at Mabel's Grill where the greatest minds in the town [if not in the country] gatherfor momingcoffee break, otherwise known as the Round Table Debating and Fili bustering Society. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. MONDAY: Tim O’Grady was at Ward Black at this morning’s session about the plan the govern ment had to put pictures of Prime Minister Mulroney in citizenship courts across the country. Ward said he didn’t see what was so wrong with it. After all, he said, if we have a picture of the Queen in courts, why shouldn’t we have pictures of the prime mini ster. Tim said he bet Ward wouldn’t have said the same thing three years ago if Pierre Trudeau’s picture had been going up. Ward said he didn’t know what all the fuss was aboutsince rhe plan had been cancelled anyway. Billie Beane said he thought putting Mr. Mulroney’s picture up was a good idea. "It’s called fairness in advertising,’’ he said. "Before these poor people commit them selves to becoming citizens they should get a chance to see what they’re letting themselves in for. ’ ’ TUESDAY: Julia Flint brought in a copy of the Toronto newspaper this morning that had a front page colour picture of people lying on a Toronto beach sunbathing on the Easter Monday holiday yesterday. The beach was packed. "Now just where did all these people come from when most people had to work?’’ she wondered. Probably government employ ees,” Hank Stokes said. "They’re the only ones who had the day off while we went to work to pay their salaries.’’ "Yeh,” Julia said. "Funny thing, they sunbathe but it’s the rest of us who get burned. ’ ’ WEDNESDAY: "Well,” says Ward to Tim this morning, "I suppose you’ll be pushing your Liberal friends to appoint you as a judge now that the judges are pushing for a $50,000 raise. As if making $78,000 wasn’t enough.” Tim tried to defend the judges saying that after all there was a lot ofstresson the job and afterall, the federal judges did get paid $50,000 more than the provincial judges (which just shows the federal Tories throw their money around more than the provincial Liberals, he told Ward.) Billiesaidhe’dgladly takcon the stress of being a judge and he’d take itfor just the $50,000 pay raise they wanted. The government could keep the original $76,000 salary. THURSDAY: Hank Stokes asked Mabel if she was going to outlaw all Continued on Page 6 [Published by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.) Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Published weekly in Brussels, Ontario P.O. Box 152 P.O. Box429, Brussels, Ont. Blyth, Ont. N0G1H0 N0M1H0 887-9114 523-4792 Subscription price: $15.00; $35.00 foreign. 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