CBC makes six proposals at CRTC CanCon proceeding

CBC/Radio-Canada made a series of suggestions to the CRTC about updating the rules for determining what qualifies as Canadian content (CanCon) Monday, May 26 at a continuing hearing into the matter. Bev Kirshenblatt, executive director of corporate and regulatory affairs for the Crown corporation, began the litany by telling the five commissioners on the panel that new regulations must protect the viability of Canadian broadcasters. “We can’t rely on foreign undertakings to tell our stories, to sustain our cultural identity or to deliver our news and information programming,” she stated. Executive vice-president of Radio-Canada Dany Meloul explained that the process of defining what is a Canadian program must be kept separate from the process of determining the contribution which must be paid by Canadian players to create CanCon. All broadcasters must contribute in the spirit of fairness and equity, she added. Meloul delivered the public broadcaster’s third point, that the same certification rules apply to all undertakings. Fourthly, it calls for a revamped point system to determine what constitutes Canadian shows. It agrees with the commission’s call to upgrade the system from 10 points to 15. Currently a program must hit six of 10 points to be considered Canadian; the CBC favours a nine out of 15 approach as pitched by the CRTC. The writer, director, and two leading actors should be Canadian, the corporation believes. If a showrunner is attached to a production, they should be Canadian as well. Meloul’s counterpart, CBC executive VP Barb Williams, stressed the importance of intellectual property ownership being retained by Canadian producers. “We believe that relaxing these rules is a slippery slope that does not serve the interests of the Canadian broadcasting system,” Williams stated. Lastly, the broadcaster wants to continue the regime whereby programs considered Canadian by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) would keep that status under CRTC rules. The CBC presentation was preceded by one from the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Executive director Valerie Creighton said the situation is precarious but she is hopeful. “Canada’s cultural and national sovereignty is once again threatened by the dominance of foreign platforms and services and increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainty,” she asserted. “But Canada has woken up. Our citizens from coast to coast to coast have demonstrated their pride and ownership of this country through their purchasing power, their belief in the value of our nation and our unique, authentic national identity.” This is not a new development, she said. “We live next to the most dominant producer and distributor of media in the world,” she noted. “The importance of nurturing, preserving, and promoting Canadian culture has been a national policy objective since 1939, with the establishment of the National Film Board.” The CMF’s EVP of marketing and public affairs Mathieu Chantelois repeated his group’s assertion that all companies earning more that $25 million in revenue annually should contribute to the fund. Creighton called for flexibility on how the new rules are imposed. “We also propose a project-centric approach to content certification that recognizes the unique creative structures of different genres and formats while ensuring creative control remains in Canadian hands,” she remarked. The day concluded with testimony from the Disability Screen Office, On Screen Manitoba, and the Alberta Media Producers Association (whose name is so new its moniker was still listed as “Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association” in CRTC documentation). They all called for the retention of mandates for Canadian programming expenditures (CPE) and programs of national interest (PNI). The proceeding is set to end on Tuesday. Among those scheduled to appear are Blue Ant Media Inc. and Unifor, the broadcast and telecommunications workers union. ppark@thewirereport.ca

CBC makes six proposals at CRTC CanCon proceeding

Broadcast |
By Paul Park
| May 26, 2025

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

CBC makes six proposals at CRTC CanCon proceeding

Broadcast | By Paul Park | May 26, 2025

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Related Stories

Changing CanCon rules might benefit from broader consultation, CRTC panel told

Any content produced, commissioned by Canadian broadcasters should count under CanCon framework, Rogers argues to CRTC

Bell vows to maintain CanCon; TLN says ethnic stations could be hurt by changes to system

Supporting Canadian composers & music in TV, movies not a ‘zero-sum game,’ CRTC hears

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Broadcast |
By Paul Park
| May 26, 2025