The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA) is the Canadian arm of the MPAA. Although the population of Canada is relatively small (32.4 million people ? 11.6 million households), in 2004 Canada was the 5th largest market for MPA members in the international market, i.e. the world excluding the U.S. In that year Canada represented 7.4% of the MPA member companies? theatrical revenues, 8.8% of their home video revenues and 9.5% of their television revenues in the international market.

The CMPDA is an advocate for its member companies with federal and provincial governments in Canada, including provincial and regional film classification boards, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the Copyright Board of Canada. The CMPDA?s key priorities are market access and content protection.

CMPDA administers a voluntary national rating system for home video product for the benefit of member companies and other home video distributors and as a public service. The CHRVS rating is derived by calculating an arithmetical average of ratings from the provincial and regional film review boards and now includes ?information pieces? on product recently released in theatres, which explain the basis for the rating ? language, violence, etc.The CMPDA Anti-Piracy Operations (APO) conducts investigations into piracy (optical disk, camcording, signal theft), usually on a commercial scale, which may result in civil actions initiated by member companies or criminal prosecutions initiated by law enforcement agencies. APO staff instructs outside counsel in civil actions and act as witnesses and otherwise provide evidence and other assistance in criminal prosecutions. The CMPDA-APO also very conducts training programs for and provides educational materials to law enforcement agencies, crown prosecutors, theatre managers and staff.

MPA-Canada Website