Gov’t orders CRTC to review minority language broadcasting; hearing expected this fall

Can Canada's broadcast industry be enticed to offer more and better services to minority English- and French-speaking communities? Can new digital technologies help? Those are among the questions Canadian Heritage has put to the CRTC, which expects to hold a major hearing by December to examine the state of linguistic duality on all broadcast platforms, including the Internet.On June 20, Heritage minister Josée Verner asked the CRTC to report by March 31, 2009, on the accessibility and quality of broadcasting services offered to minority French- and English-language communities. The order, made under Section 15 of the Broadcasting Act, forms part of the government's Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013, which aims to strengthen the vitality of minority official language communities.Annie Laflamme, the CRTC's director of French-language TV policy and applications, whose group is handling the file, says while "nothing has been officially decided at this time", she anticipates a public notice to be released in September, with a hearing to follow in November or December. The order, she adds, was unexpected and as such was not part of the CRTC's work plan for the coming year.A release issued by the government states that: "Given the many changes - particularly the proliferation of new technologies - that have transformed the broadcast industry in recent years, the Government of Canada believes the time has come to review broadcast services in the context of minority official-language communities. The CRTC's recommendations will provide crucial information to help inform the Government with respect to our linguistic duality."This isn't the first time the CRTC has waded into the issue of linguistic diversity. It last held a hearing into the issue of broadcasting services for minority French-language communities in 2001. Laflamme couldn't recall when, of even if, the CRTC had held a proceeding examining this issue for minority English-language communities.More recently, in June 2007, the CRTC ordered cable and satellite carriers to provide CBC's Newsworld in Quebec, and its Le Réseau de l'information (RDI) outside of Quebec as part of their basic digital service packages.Canada does not have a single set of rules governing the availability of broadcast services to minority language communities. Laflamme notes that some of the current rules "are very complex and depend on the type of distribution system that the licensee operates"."On the distribution side most of our rules are in our regulations, whereas on the broadcasting side, under a condition of licence we may require some licensees to produce or broadcast some programs from those communities; but that would vary from licence to licence," she adds. "On distribution side, although the rules vary, there are broad rules. For example, for every 10 Canadian services in English Canada that the BDU would carry, they have to carry one French language."Laflamme says the proceeding will be a three-fold process that will examine the main questions asked by the government:1. examine the availability and quality of English and French language broadcasting services in English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada;2. identify any deficiencies and challenges in those communities in the provision of official language broadcasting services, and determining the availability of official language services across all broadcasting platforms and distribution systems; and3. propose measures to encourage and facilitate access to the widest range of official language broadcasting services possible in English and French linguistic minority communities and to ensure that the diversity of English and French linguistic communities across Canada is reflected in the Canadian broadcasting system.

Gov’t orders CRTC to review minority language broadcasting; hearing expected this fall

News | 07/03/2008 8:52 pm EDT

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