The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing performers in English-language media. It has 25,000 members working in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, and all other recorded media. The organization negotiates, safeguards, and promotes the professional rights of its members. It also works to increase work opportunities for its members and lobbies for policy changes at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. ACTRA's regional chapters present

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

s to honour the best in Canadian radio and television performances in their local productions.

Affiliations

ACTRA is affiliated with the

Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (french: Congrès du travail du Canada, link=no or ) is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. History Formation The CLC was ...

and the

International Federation of Actors The International Federation of Actors (french: Federation Internationale des Acteurs, FIA) is a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing actors. History The federation was established in 1952, on the initiative of Briti ...

. In July 2005, ACTRA and the

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

announced that the two unions have entered into a strategic alliance to take on the globalization of the culture industry and to address a range of common issues.

Acronym Meaning

The earliest form of the organization represented radio performers in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in the 1940s. This organization was called RATS: the Radio Artists of Toronto Society. In 1943, with the wider involvement of groups from other Canadian cities, the Association of Canadian Radio Artists (ACRA) was formed. ACRA over time evolved into the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists, the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, and, in 1984, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.

Union of British Columbia Performers

Regional issues led to the creation of the Union of British Columbia Performers, a separate subunit of ACTRA for

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

only.

ACTRA Awards

Every year, ACTRA branches across the country present the

ACTRA Awards The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

, some of which are handed out for performances, while others are given for union activism and contributions to the industry.

ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society

The ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS), a member of

American Fraternal Alliance The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an umbrella group of fraternal orders in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago and adopted its current name in 2011. History The origins of the ...

, is a "not-for-profit, member-owned, federally incorporated insurance company", founded in 1959. In 2010,

Marie Charette-Poulin Marie-Paule Charette-Poulin (born June 21, 1945) was a Canadian senator until resigning in April 2015 and was the president of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2006 to 2008. She is married to international portrait artist Bernard Poulin. Educa ...

sat on the board of Governors of the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society.

HAVEN Helpline

On 1 June 2019, ACTRA and the

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant ...

jointly launched HAVEN Helpline for members in Canada, with 24-7 support, out-sourced from

Morneau Shepell LifeWorks, formerly known as Morneau Shepell, is a human resources services and technology company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1966, Morneau Shepell serves approximately 24,000 clients in North America. Besides Nor ...

, with additional financial support from AFBS and

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...

Notable members

ACTRA is composed of professional actors, models (video only), singers, stunt performers, and other television and radio performers. Notable members include: *

Rachel McAdams Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film ''Perfect Pie'' (200 ...

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Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (born August 16, 1972) is a Korean-Canadian actor and television host. He is best known for his roles as Randy Ko in the soap opera ''Train 48'' (2003–2005) and as family patriarch Appa in the play ''Kim's Convenience'' (2011 ...

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* Dan Levy *

Andrea Bang Andrea Bang is a Canadian actress and screenwriter from Burnaby, British Columbia. She is best known for playing Janet Kim in the CBC comedy ''Kim's Convenience'', for which she was nominated many times at the Canadian Screen Awards. She has a ...

Jean Yoon Jean Yoon (born May 4, 1962) is an American-born Canadian actress and writer of Korean descent. Yoon is best known for originating the role of family matriarch Umma in the 2011 play ''Kim's Convenience'' and in the award-winning CBC Television ...

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Meredith MacNeill Meredith MacNeill (born 1975) is a Canadian actress and comedian.Aurora Browne Aurora Browne is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known as one of the creators and stars of the sketch comedy series ''Baroness von Sketch Show''. Early life She is originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto. Care ...

Carolyn Taylor Carolyn Taylor is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known as one of the creators and stars of the sketch comedy series ''Baroness von Sketch Show''. An alumna of The Second City's Toronto company, she was a writer for ''This Hour Has 22 Minut ...

* Jennifer Whalen *

Catherine Reitman Catherine Marcelle Reitman (; born April 28, 1981) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and writer. She is the creator, executive producer, writer, and star of the CBC comedy series ''Workin' Moms''. Early life Reitman was born in Los An ...

Dani Kind Dani Kind is a Canadian actress. Early life Danielle Kind was born on 10 January 1980. Raised in Toronto, Ontario, Kind chose her career in grade nine after seeing an actress perform a monologue during her high school studies. Kind then joined a ...

* Olunike Adeliyi *

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

Ryan Belleville Ryan Belleville (born May 8, 1979) is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. Career Belleville became the youngest person to tape his own ''Comedy Now!'' special for CTV. He also appeared in CBC's ''The Sean Cullen Show'' and the film '' Goin ...

Amybeth McNulty Amybeth McNulty (born 7 November 2001) is an Irish actress. She is known for her starring role as Anne Shirley in the CBC/Netflix drama series ''Anne with an E'' (2017–2019), based on the 1908 novel ''Anne of Green Gables'' by Lucy Maud Mont ...

* R. H. Thomson *

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Chase Tang Chia-Hao Tang (; born August 24, 1988), professionally known as Chase Tang, is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. After completing a degree in commerce from the University of Guelph, Tang gave up a corporate career and instead sought out training as an a ...

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Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and US versions of the improvisational TV show ''Whose Line Is It A ...

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Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...

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References

External links

*
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists fonds (R3600)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

{{Authority control 1943 establishments in Ontario Actors' trade unions Canadian Labour Congress Entertainment industry unions Organizations based in Toronto Trade unions established in 1943 Trade unions in Canada