‘Nothing further to report’: Liberals still plan to eliminate streamer payment requirements following trade talk collapse

The Liberal government is proceeding with its decision to eliminate the CRTC’s base contribution decision that would require foreign streamers to spend billions on Cancon productions following the end of bilateral trade discussions between Canada and the U.S. A recent court filing confirmed Ottawa hasn’t changed its position after Canadian negotiators ended discussions with their American counterparts, reportedly over U.S. efforts to reduce Canadian cultural and French-language protections. “At this juncture, the AGC (Attorney General of Canada) has nothing further to report to the parties or the Court concerning our ,” read a letter from government lawyer Michael H. Morris. “If and when there are any developments, we will inform the parties and the court.” Spokespeople for Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) and Attorney General Sean Fraser (Central Nova, N.S.) did not respond to The Wire Report’s request for comment. The government’s declaration was made in response to a letter from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), which had sought clarification regarding whether Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) planned to reverse the government’s decision following the trade developments. The initial CRTC regulations, crafted under the Online Streaming Act brought forward by Justin Trudeau’s government, would require major U.S. streamers, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., and Netflix Inc., to earmark five per cent of Canadian revenues to fund Cancon. Earlier this year, the CRTC upped the allocation requirements to 15 per cent, which would have collectively brought an estimated $2 billion into Canada’s cultural ecosystem on an annual basis. Miller quickly asked the regulator to review the 15 per cent decision, citing affordability concerns around streamers passing on regulatory costs to consumers. Meanwhile, over the summer, federal lawyers confirmed Ottawa’s plan to scrap the CRTC’s initial five per cent decision, as first reported by The Wire Report, which many viewed as a ploy to gain leverage in bilateral discussions with the U.S. Cultural groups were hopeful the decision would be reversed after trade negotiations abruptly ended last month, which led the CAB to ask for an update from the attorney general’s office. “We did so because press reports had previously linked the Government’s intention to eliminate the base contribution requirement with the trade negotiations,” read the advocacy organization’s letter. CAB president Kevin Desjardins told The Wire Report in an interview on Monday the letter was designed to be a “periodic check-in” to see if there were any developments. The exchange took place before the Federal Court of Appeal as the CAB is amongst a coalition fighting a legal challenge initiated by several streamers against the regulations in 2024. In June, Justice David Stratas asked for submissions on whether the case was still relevant, considering the Carney government publicly distanced itself from the original policy. On Monday, Carney re-iterated that he was not considering reinstating previous funding requirements for streamers and other digital policies, in response to a charge from Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet in Question Period. As such, it is unclear whether Stratas will decide to continue with the case, and there is also no timeline for a final decision from the court on the challenge’s merits. The second round of streamer payments was due by August 31, though various companies refused to transfer money to eligible funding agencies. The CAB and other groups remain optimistic that the Liberals will ultimately enforce contribution requirements for streamers, even if they are lower than the CRTC-mandated 15 per cent threshold. Ottawa has promised to issue the CRTC a new policy directive guiding its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which will likely inform the regulator’s approach to Cancon funding payments for streamers. Industry stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the directive, which Miller announced in June, though it is not clear when it will be released. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

‘Nothing further to report’: Liberals still plan to eliminate streamer payment requirements following trade talk collapse

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|September 22, 2026

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‘Nothing further to report’: Liberals still plan to eliminate streamer payment requirements following trade talk collapse

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |September 22, 2026

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