CRTC sheds jobs despite unfinished work on Online Streaming Act

Canada’s broadcasting regulator is losing employees tasked with implementing the Online Streaming Act (OSA), despite the federal government promising to make policy changes under the law in the coming months. The CRTC is proceeding with scheduled personnel reductions in its broadcasting branch, which has administered the regulatory changes introduced by the OSA, a piece of legislation brought forward by Justin Trudeau’s government in 2022. Most notably, the law required the CRTC to create a payment structure for major U.S. streaming companies, like Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Apple Inc., to earmark a portion of revenues to fund Canadian news and entertainment content. In 2024, the commission established a base contribution requirement of five per cent of streamers’ Canadian revenues, which faces an ongoing court challenge. More recently, the CRTC upped the policy to 15 per cent, despite strong pushback from U.S. political and industry players, as well as Conservative MPs. Alongside the new regulatory work, the CRTC received a temporary funding boost of approximately $4 million, beginning in 2022-23, which was annually renewed to equip the regulator with additional resources to implement the new policies. However, the temporary injection is set to expire in 2026-27 — and the CRTC’s work is far from completed. After the commission increased streamer contribution rates to 15 per cent of yearly revenues, the Liberal government asked the CRTC to review its decision, effectively pausing the implementation of the OSA. As first reported by The Wire Report, Ottawa also plans to eliminate the original base contribution threshold, choosing to replace it with $600-million annually in federal funding for the arts and culture sector. In June, Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) promised to issue a new policy direction to guide the CRTC’s work that will focus on “affordability” and “protecting choice for consumers.” Many framed the policy pivot as a concession meant to aid Canada in bilateral negotiations with the U.S., though it remains unclear how Prime Minister Mark Carney’s (Nepean, Ont.) government will approach broadcasting policy after trade discussions abruptly collapsed last month. In advance of the new policy direction, the CRTC told The Wire Report it will proceed with personnel reductions necessitated by the loss of temporary resources, which had represented approximately 20 per cent of the regulator’s total funding from the government. “There has been no change to the CRTC's planned resources, as outlined in the 2026-27 Departmental Plan,” wrote CRTC spokesperson Benoit Fortin. “Full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2026-27 and subsequent years are expected to decrease due primarily to the sunsetting of temporary funds and its associated temporary FTEs.” The regulator is set to lose 85 FTEs during the 2026-27 fiscal year (falling from 740 to 655 employees). A small portion of those reductions are the result of “natural attrition,” according to the commission. The CRTC did not respond to questions regarding how the losses could affect the regulator’s work under the OSA. Meanwhile, the Department of Finance redirected The Wire Report’s request for comment to Miller’s office, which did not immediately provide a response. Carney is set to unveil his government’s second annual budget later this fall. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

CRTC sheds jobs despite unfinished work on Online Streaming Act

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|September 9, 2026

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CRTC sheds jobs despite unfinished work on Online Streaming Act

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |September 9, 2026

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By Davis Legree
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