Letter to The Hon. Chrystia Freeland Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister House of Commons
Wednesday 30th September, 2020
The Hon. Chrystia Freeland
Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister House of Commons, Ottawa Ontario K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Freeland,
On behalf of the Canadian Media Directors Council (CMDC) and all of our members, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Finance. In these difficult times with the global health crisis and economic uncertainty, Canada needs your depth of expertise, extensive experience and stewardship to lead our country through one of its most challenging periods.
The CMDC is an independent association of media professionals representing advertising media agencies to ensure a fair, progressive marketplace on behalf of our clients, our agencies and our media partners. We have been operating for over 33 years as strategic advisors, advocates and leaders in the Canadian advertising sector. Our members account for approximately 92% of the total media ad spend transacted annually in Canada. Advertising is a significant economic force in the Canadian economy and considered an important and necessary component of the communications infrastructure. It is estimated that advertising expenditures in 2019 amounted to $11 billion being invested in Canada.
Canadian media agencies are fast-paced, dynamic teams of highly skilled, strategic, analytical and technology driven talent. We use our collective knowledge of the industry to publish groundbreaking thought leadership. This could be on how advertising works across a multitude of channels, how agencies are using AI, or what the agency of the future will look like. At the same time, 79% of the talent at media agencies today are under the age of 39. Focused on investing in the next generation, we continue to employ and foster workplace environments fueled with innovation, creativity and connection, even in our virtual world.
As an association, we listen to agency issues and opportunities so that we can set or update policy, or lead the industry response. As we work through the short and long term impacts brought on by COVID-19 to our media industry, we believe that we must continue to focus on the following initiatives:
1. A commitment to Responsible Advertising;
2. Cultivating Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the workplace;
3. Stewarding universal cross media measurement to drive transparency and effectiveness in the Canadian marketplace;
4. Supporting consistent and accurate health messaging for consumers; and
5. Advancement of media, innovation and creativity.
The Canadian Media Directors’ council appreciates an open and constructive working relationship with your government and we look forward to working with you to support Canada’s economic recovery.
We are at your disposal for insights regarding our media sector, including the challenges and opportunities it faces in the months and years to come, and how we can contribute to our shared goal of a robust economic recovery.
Sincerely,
Shannon Lewis Stuart Garvie
President, Canadian Media Directors Council CEO Group M Canada