TVA laying off more workers; parent company talks CanCon at CRTC hearing

Quebecor Inc.’s TVA Group announced another round of layoffs May 21, the same morning the company’s vice president of regulatory and environmental affairs was appearing at a CRTC hearing on Canadian content (CanCon) regulations. The Quebec broadcaster revealed that it was dismissing 30 workers, mostly in its television division. In a news release, Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau called for foreign streamers to pay their fair share into the Canadian broadcasting system. Quebecor’s Regulatory vice president Peggy Tabet made the same argument in front of a CRTC panel looking at CanCon. “We are now faced with having to be rivals with foreign online undertakings,” she said in French. “Today is a situation that is even more severe than ever.” Tabet cited a previous round of TVA layoffs in 2023, cutting more than 500 positions, but did not reference the cuts announced Wednesday. She called on the regulator to be proactive in reacting to turmoil in the broadcasting sector. “What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the stations to be closed?,” she asked the five-member panel. “It’s high time to breathe new life into our undertakings and not to yield to the pressure of foreign undertakings who are asking clearly for regulation that would be shaped to their interest.” Tabet also chided the Canada Media Fund, which she said cut funding by $5 million. That took away one-third of TVA’s allotment, Tabet added. The vice-president also called upon the CRTC to revisit its regulatory regime, especially as it affects local news. “The elimination of archaic and superfluous requirements would allow us to build a fully Canadian system that is strong, agile, and can innovate, rather than a system dominated by foreign interests,” she asserted. One of the other parties appearing before the commission Wednesday was the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE). International vice president John Lewis called for flexibility in the application of regulations. His associate, international representative Isabelle Lecompte, continued the argument when discussing adding showrunners to the point system for determining CanCon. The CRTC has proposed adding the position to the roster of jobs that help determine what qualifies as a Canadian production when held by a Canadian. Lacompte said showrunner should be an optional choice and restricted to television productions, not films. Previous witnesses have pointed out that showrunner, while a regular feature of English television, has no equivalent in French language TV. Also on May 21, Quebec’s culture minister Mathieu Lacombe unveiled a bill which would set quotas for French-language content on streaming services. Under the legislation, all streaming services would have to make French content more accessible to people. Their interfaces would have to be French by default. They could be fined if they don’t comply. But streamers are considered broadcasters and under the constitution, broadcasting is a federal responsibility. The streamers could attack the bill if it becomes law as unconstitutional. The federal government could also assert its jurisdiction. ppark@thewirereport.ca

TVA laying off more workers; parent company talks CanCon at CRTC hearing

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By Paul Park
| May 21, 2025

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TVA laying off more workers; parent company talks CanCon at CRTC hearing

Broadcast | By Paul Park | May 21, 2025

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