‘The beginning of the end’: Blanchet worries about future of cultural exemption following Miller’s CRTC order

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the federal government’s order for the CRTC to review its contribution requirements for online streamers could jeopardize Canada’s cultural exemption used in bilateral trade agreements. Last week, Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller said he will provide the CRTC with new policy directions to rethink its decision requiring streamers to earmark 15 per cent of Canadian revenues to local news and Canadian content. Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) argued the move was in the name of affordability, but opposition MPs and cultural groups don’t buy it. Accusing the Liberal government of bowing to the White House, Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, Que.) said the feds are once again making concessions before negotiations for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) even begin (the review is set to begin in July). “If the government gives up on its right to force companies, businesses, web giants, to support Canadian and Quebec creation, cannot bring it back in upcoming negotiations with the United States,” Blanchet told reporters on June 8. “And that might be the beginning of the end for what we call the culture .” The cultural exemption is a clause built into CUSMA that allows Canada to protect its media ecosystem without conflicting with trade agreements. The CRTC decision was expected to contribute approximately $2 billion annually to the industry. It is being reviewed in favour of a $600 million one-time injection from the federal government. “From whichever part of Canada and Quebec you are, this is going against your most fundamental interests,” Blanchet said of the government’s direction. “It’s a terrible decision is being made.” In a press release on June 3, the government said the CRTC’s requirements “would impose new costs on the companies providing these services, which could ultimately fall on Canadian consumers through higher prices.” But in a statement on its website, the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) called the government’s bluff. “The argument that such contributions would undermine the affordability of online streaming services is not supported by international experience,” the statement read. The statement added Canada is not alone in adopting contribution requirements for streamers, pointing to similar policies in the European Union and France. “In Europe, no direct correlation has been established between the level of local content contribution requirements imposed on streaming platforms and the price of their subscriptions,” CDCE argued. Speaking to The Wire Report on Tuesday, CDCE executive director Marie-Julie Desrochers said she worries about the government overstepping when it comes to inserting itself into the arm’s-length regulator’s affairs. “We are concerned by the situation right now,” she said. “We did not really anticipate this strong reversal, and we are concerned that it could undermine the legitimacy and authority of the CRTC, which is so fundamental to safeguarding our cultural sovereignty.” Under the Broadcasting Act, Miller can give the CRTC broad policy directions which the commission must consider. However, the government does not have the authority to completely reject CRTC decisions, and the commission could still maintain that its recent decision achieves Miller’s forthcoming policy directives. The government has said the directives will inform a new policy direction, and Desrochers remains optimistic. “We think there’s still a way to require the platforms to contribute an adequate manner to the system,” she said. Unlike Blanchet, she’s not so worried about the future of the cultural exemption, either. “We hope the exemption is not threatened and we don’t see why it will be,” she said. “ a leader in the protection and promotion of the diversity of our cultural expressions. We were the first country to ratify the 2005 UNESCO convention . . . so we really hope Canada will continue to be the leader it has always been.” mcollins@thewirereport.ca

‘The beginning of the end’: Blanchet worries about future of cultural exemption following Miller’s CRTC order

Regulatory |
By Maria Collins
|June 10, 2026

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

‘The beginning of the end’: Blanchet worries about future of cultural exemption following Miller’s CRTC order

Regulatory | By Maria Collins |June 10, 2026

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

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Liberals don’t expect online harms bill to pass before summer recess

Rogers actions spur NDP to amend anti-scab legislation

ISED changes maritime spectrum rules to facilitate next gen technology

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Regulatory |
By Maria Collins
|June 10, 2026