LETTER QUESTIONS CANADIAN FILM TRADE.

Byline: Dave McNary Staff Writer

A coalition of eight Congressmen fired another shot Wednesday at Canada over its efforts to lure Hollywood productions north of the border.

The group, led by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Mission Hills, is pressuring U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky to change rules that allow Canada to subsidize productions such as ``Bad As I Wanna Be: the Dennis Rodman Story'' under the guise of protecting Canadian culture.

Berman has asserted in recent months that Canada has violated the spirit of trade agreements between the nations, which allow exclusion of U.S. programming and providing economic incentives to producers if they hire Canadians.

``Since 1932, Canada has asserted the need for special exceptions to international trade agreements to protect Canadian `cultural content' or `cultural sovereignity' '' the group said in a letter to Barshefsky. ``Over the years, however, any legitimacy originally attached to claims of Canadian cultural sovereignity has been replaced by rules and regulations that are nothing more than protectionism - plain, simple and unfair.''

A recent study by The Monitor Co. found that Canada accounted for 81 percent of all runaway production, costing the United States 20,000 jobs and $10 billion in lost wages and revenues.

Besides the Rodman TV movie, the letter cited seven other U.S. projects that had been co-produced in Canada - ``The Long Island Incident,'' ``My Date With the President's Daughter,'' ``Oklahoma City,'' ``Hidden in America,'' ``Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way,'' ``Nixon & Kissinger'' and ``Texas Rangers'' - which ``do not appear to contribute anything to Canadian culture.''

The letter also noted that Canada is able to limit the number of hours that non-Canadian programming is shown on Canadian TV and preclude distribution of programming by some U.S. cable companies in Canada. It asked Barshefsky to address the issue at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, scheduled for Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.

``We believe that the issue of Canadian abuse of the cultural sovereignty principle is a cover for erecting old-fashioned trade barriers and must be on the agenda at the Seattle talks,'' the group said as part of the ``Dear Colleague'' letter seeking more signatures.

Canadian officials have defended their practices as a legitimate means of generating economic growth and have claimed that the estimates of runaway production are overblown.

Besides Berman, five California representatives signed the letter: Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles; Gary Condit, D-Modesto; David Drier, R-Covina, chairman of the Rules Committee; Robert Matsui, D-Sacramento; and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita. Republicans Mark Foley of Florida and Jerry Weller of Illinois, both members of the Ways and Means Committee, also signed.