Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of authorizing strike action if there is no resolution in its ongoing negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).
The first strike mandate in the organization’s history, 96.5% voted in favour of job action with more than 70% of eligible voters casting a ballot.
“This strike authorization vote, a first in the Guild’s 33-year history, represents a pivotal moment for Canadian screenwriters,” said WGC Executive Director Victoria Shen. “It underscores our members’ commitment to securing fair compensation and meaningful AI protections in an ever-evolving industry.”
“While a strong strike mandate does not necessarily mean we will strike, it tells the producers we are ready to defend ourselves if necessary,” she added. “We remain committed to negotiating a fair agreement for our members.”
WGC and the CMPA have been negotiating renewal of the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) for the past six months, with WGC members working without a contract since Dec. 31.
Among the sticking points are meaningful protections around the use of AI for both live action and animation writers, better compensation for animation writers, and minimum staffing on shows once they are in production.
The WGC says it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with producers and keeping the industry working.
Sean Porter, the CMPA’s Vice-President, National Industrial Relations and Counsel, said they are also committed to negotiating a settlement with the WGC.
“Canadian producers value the work of Canadian screenwriters and sincerely believe that future Canadian projects should be written by humans, not AI algorithms,” said Porter, in a statement. “We believe a labour dispute would be extremely damaging to the domestic Canadian film and television production sector and we remain focused on successfully concluding negotiations.”
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