Source : Globe & Mail

These are unusual times. And I'm not just talking about the fact that the Western world hasn't had a meltdown over the possibility the Oscars won't get the usual red-carpet fandango.

Canadian television is on the uptick, as they say in L.A. A strange combination of circumstances - the U.S. writers' strike and the sudden unleashing of numerous Canadian productions, many getting heavy promotion - has meant that not only are people watching more Canadian-made TV, but they're talking about it and nattering online about it.

The numbers speak for themselves and tell an interesting story. CBC's The Border has been watched by about 760,000 Canadians on Mondays since it began and has risen slightly, week-to-week. The Week the Women Went, whichalso airs on Mondays (tonight, 8 p.m.), drew 858,000 viewers last week. CTV's Corner Gas had 1,138,000 and CBC's Mercer Report has been drawing around 1 million viewers every week.

In this context, CBC's jPod has to be considered a failure, drawing only 159,000 last week. Now CBC, in an unusually nimble move, has switched jPod to Fridays and moved the fun and soapy hockey-wives drama MVP to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. MVP was drawing around 300,000 viewers on Fridays, when fewer people are watching TV and the target number for CBC was 500,000. Also airing on Tuesday, Global's new drama The Guard had 777,000 viewers in its first week and about 670,000 in its second week.

Mind you, it's all about context. A new episode of House on Global last Tuesday drew 2.1 million viewers and CTV's simulcast of American Idol drew 2.7 million viewers.

But the reality is that Canadian TV is getting made, getting on the air and getting attention. For the first time in years not one, but two, Canadian-made dramas - CTV's Flashpoint and The Listener, both of which are still in production - have been picked up by U.S. networks, the first by CBS and the second by NBC. Both will air in the United States this fall.

This is all good. And then ... this being a Canadian TV racket scenario, there are ominous stirrings. This week, almost everyone with power or influence in Canadian TV is heading to Ottawa. The CRTC's hearing on a report about the future of the Canadian Television Fund begins today. The CTF supports the development and production of dozens of Canadian shows every year, and funded Flashpoint, which found favour with CBS. Still, the CTF has vehement critics, especially the cable company Shaw Communications.

This is the very best time to argue about the value of Canadians telling Canadian stories on TV. So, I'm joining the crowd heading to Ottawa. Just to observe and report. This is going to be fun. Stick with me.

© Globe and Mail