{"id":137391,"date":"2017-12-08T03:32:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T08:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=137391"},"modified":"2017-12-08T03:32:24","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T08:32:24","slug":"canadian-members-of-oscars-academy-hopeful-about-new-code-of-conduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/12\/08\/canadian-members-of-oscars-academy-hopeful-about-new-code-of-conduct\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian members of Oscars academy hopeful about new code of conduct"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The trophy of a prestigious award, the Academy Award. The content is owned by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Wikimedia <\/a>commons, fair use)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO\u2014 Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta always thought it was wrong that there was no code of conduct for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body that oversees the Oscars, especially when it came to sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an unspoken thing that it will be tolerated, and really perhaps nobody (would) believe the women,\u201d said the writer and director of the Oscar-nominated \u201cWater,\u201d who is an academy member herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere was one of, even though personally you might not tolerate it, there were no consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

That changed on Wednesday when the academy announced its first code of conduct for its 8,427 members, one that states its board may now suspend or expel those who violate the code or who \u201ccompromise the integrity\u201d of the organization.<\/p>\n

Mehta called it an \u201cexcellent\u201d move that will raise awareness \u201cthat this kind of abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated and has consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s something that Gloria Steinem said: ‘The truth will set you free, but before it does it will piss you off,’ and I think that’s where we are at,\u201d Mehta said from Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s probably pissing off a lot of men, but it’s essential and I’m sorry, you have to wear it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The code comes after the academy expelled producer Harvey Weinstein in October. It states that members must \u201cbehave ethically by upholding the academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no place in the academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency,\u201d reads the statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto-based sound editor Jane Tattersall said a code of conduct seemed an obvious move but a necessary one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, ‘I hope you wouldn’t tolerate this behaviour anyway, but why not be specific about it? It doesn’t do you any service to not say these words, not to put in writing that this is wrong,\u201d’ said Tattersall, who became a member of the academy earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Sexual harassment and assault allegations have been pouring out of the industry for months now, and many organizations have revisited their codes of conduct or policies surrounding the problem.<\/p>\n

But it seemed to send a big message to many in the industry when such a storied institution explicitly released its first set of rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe academy is an incredibly well respected institution and symbol of the\u00a0entertainment<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0business, of Hollywood,\u201d said Tattersall. \u201cThe fact that they’re making the statement, I think, is a comment about the brand of the academy and how much they want to maintain it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s also a comment that … a lot of behaviour has been tacitly allowed to continue for many years and this will be the beginning of the end of it. So I think it’s a symbol, but I think it’s a very strong symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montreal casting director Lucie Robitaille, who was made an academy member in 2015, said she was surprised the academy never had a code of conduct.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it’s obvious that if you’re going to be in the academy, to follow these rules,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would certainly hope that it would change something…. I hope that the people reading it will take it into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having such a code on the record \u201csolidifies the things that people have been saying over the past few months, like ‘enough is enough,\u201d’ said Tattersall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s just saying, ‘OK, you’re right, we’ve turned a corner, this is a new way of behaving that is going to be standardized and we support it.’ It doesn’t necessarily change the behaviour, but I think people who are exhibiting it, they’d be more obviously lying to themselves if they think this is not wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move was also applauded by the union representing Canada’s performers, ACTRA, which is working with other stakeholders here on an industry-wide code of conduct.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is positive to see the academy take this step and we know there’s a lot more work to do in making sure zero tolerance is a reality in our industry in Canada,\u201d David Sparrow, ACTRA national president, said Wednesday in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cACTRA is working with stakeholders across the industry to create a safe space for victims to speak out without fear of retaliation or harassment and to ensure there are real consequences for perpetrators.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other praise came from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, which noted it is also engaging its membership directly and developing a code of conduct of its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the support of New Metric Media and Nordicity, a consulting firm which specializes in strategy and policy, we will be canvassing our membership to develop a code of conduct that speaks to us,\u201d Beth Janson, CEO of the Canadian academy, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are moving through the process now to create and implement a standard in 2018 that is representative of our membership and to which we will all be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more organizations that make these public proclamations, the more it will become the norm that sexual misconduct is not allowed, said Tattersall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear some of the stories, I think, ‘Oh my god, people thought they could do that?’ And obviously they did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo now that the word is getting out and people are spreading their stories which I think is pretty interesting, that there are so many stories it just says, ‘OK, these are all real, we can’t behave this way. That’s just wrong.\u201d’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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