Canada’s entertainment industry drafts collective code of conduct
TORONTO — Canadian entertainment organizations have responded to the recent flood of sexual misconduct allegations with a new collective code of conduct that is a “living document” with room for updating.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writers Guild of Canada, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees are among some 25 groups that have signed on to the code, which was unveiled Thursday.
“There are obviously codes that exist within various organizations and unions and guilds, but this one is the only one in the world currently where the entire industry has stepped up and agreed to the same language,” ACTRA National president David Sparrow, who has been leading a working group for the code, said in a phone interview.
“That’s something that’s not happening south of the border currently and is happening here, so I think it speaks of the strong desire of the Canadian industry to address these issues.”