We criticised the Doug Ford Government in Ontario last fall for getting rid of the Ontario Film Authority. The province used the British Columbia film classification organisation in the interim period.
"The Ford Government will be the ones to come up with a new system. In a province that is home to one of the best film festivals in the world (TIFF), there is fear that a replacement will either be too cheap, too insufficient, too privatised, or some combination. The potential for censorship is also a significant concern."
We wrote those words last year. Now we know Ontario's new solution. The Film Content Information Act proposes to shift away from age-based ratings to publicly available information with more descriptive content in categories such as violence, nudity, substance use, and coarse language.
The 6 basic ratings in Canada (outside Quebec) are G, PG, 14A, 18A, R, and A. The 14A and 18A require those younger than 14 and 18, respectively, to be accommodated by an adult. The R and A restrictions are for adults only (unlike the U.S. R rating). The Quebec ratings system is much more straightforward.
The new information sounds like a good idea for parents to have. We haven't been too wild about ratings systems, especially since the American version compels filmmakers to self-censor a film to get a certain rating. So why does this sound like a bad idea?
The filmmakers supply the information so the province doesn't have to do any work. Films that would have fallen into the 14A and 18A where adults would have to be there is no longer a requirement. No one in government makes sure the information supplied by the filmmakers is accurate. Parents have to seek out the information for each film instead of relying on a 14A or 18A rating. Without a G or even a PG, parents would have to research even more family-relevant titles.
Parents could see what rating a film would get in another province, such as using the British Columbia system.
Doug Ford Government axes Ontario Film Authority
"too cheap, too insufficient, too privatised, or some combination" — some combination for certain: definitely too cheap, likely too insufficient, and absolutely too privatised.
Lazy might be the best way to describe the new Ontario method. The "we don't care" approach seems worse than introducing a bad system. Making Ontario citizens do the work that the Ford Government won't do might "save some money" but inconvenience its citizens. No film ratings setup will ever be perfect or even ideal., but the province would have been better off using the British Columbia system.
The ratings and information would be a great idea. Ratings to set the basics but with information for the parents and children to learn more about what is in the films. Having just ratings or the information falls short.
Adult supervision for 14A and 18A can be helpful to explain more adult things in context.
Ontario produces a lot of films, is the most populous province in Canada, and home of the Toronto International Film Festival. The people of Ontario deserve a functioning film ratings system.
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
CanadianCrossing.com Ontario coverage
Canada is one of the very few major countries without a national film classification system. British Columbia handles ratings for British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. Alberta ratings apply to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The Maritime Film Classification Board provides ratings for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Quebec has its own system. Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Yukon have no compulsory ratings systems.
The idea of a federal system is tempting but that isn't going to happen. The closest you might get is other provinces outside Quebec quietly adopting the British Columbia system.
Ontario is going a step further to say no ratings system should apply. Parents are the ones who want the most from a ratings system. We will see how loud they will be over the Ontario (lack of) solution.
photo credit: Canadian movie ratings system
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