Writers Guild of Canada

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**WGC**

Writers Guild of Canada
Members	1800
Country	Canada
Affiliation	IAWG
Key people	Maureen Parker, executive director
Office location	Toronto, Ontario
Website	www.wgc.ca

The Writers Guild of Canada represents more than 1,800 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and multimedia production in Canada. Members of the Guild are write dramatic TV series, feature films, MOWs (Movie of the Week), documentaries, animation, comedy and variety series, children's and educational programming, radio drama, as well as corporate videos and multimedia productions.

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 Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), 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:

Providing industry-standard writing contracts and checking agreements to ensure they comply with the WGC’s collective agreements
Ensuring proper payment of script fees and royalties and resolving disputes over working conditions and credits
Serving as the voice for screenwriters by undertaking extensive policy and lobbying activities, working closely with government agencies to promote Canada’s indigenous film and television industry
Publishing Canadian Screenwriter, a quarterly magazine with features, news, reviews and vital industry information
Administering a script registration service to help writers protect their work
Hosting an annual awards ceremony honouring outstanding screenwriting
Keeping a on-line directory of members for industry organizations
Providing professional development and training opportunities for members and new writers
Administering the Canadian Screenwriters Collection Society, which collects royalties and levies arising from secondary uses made in Europe and other jurisdictions