CMPA files petition to cabinet on CBC license

The Canadian Media Producers Association, with support from parties across the television and film production sector, has added its voice to calls for the cabinet to overturn the changes granted to CBC/Radio-Canada in the CRTC's renewal of the broadcaster's license. In a petition filed to the Governor-in-Council under section 28 of the Broadcasting Act Friday, the CMPA pointed to changes made to the CBC's programming exhibition and expenditure requirements, and specifically to provisions in the new license that allow the CBC to shift its expenditure requirements from its linear television service to its online digital offering. "The CMPA recognizes that the Canadian broadcasting system is changing and evolving, and that all key stakeholders in the system need to adapt," the industry group wrote in its petition. "However, the Commission has jumped the gun. The new licensing framework for the CBC goes too far, too soon," the CMPA wrote, questioning the CRTC's decision to "elimination of even the most basic of threshold requirements in these key areas of broadcasting policy." On Friday, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and National Pensioners Federation submitted their own petition to cabinet, and referred to the shifting obligations for the national broadcaster under the new license as a “stealth policy decision,” a characterization echoed in CMPA's petition. "It is premature to implement a regulatory shift of this magnitude, removing licensing conditions that have proven to support Canada’s broadcasting policy objectives, without a full-scale policy review of any kind," the CMPA wrote. Also like PIAC, CMPA argued that the newfound programming flexibility in the CBC's license will have ripple effects for private broadcasters as the Senate is poised to resume its consideration of the update to the Broadcasting Act – known as the Online Streaming Act – in the fall. "There is little doubt that other broadcasters will seek to avail themselves of this same framework by also eliminating existing licensing conditions," CMPA wrote. "With the licences of private broadcasters to be reviewed within the next two years, the ramifications of this Decision will be exponential, negatively impacting the production of Canadian programming, including independent production, to the detriment of Canadian audiences, the Canadian broadcasting system and the more than 82,000 people with high-quality jobs in film and television production." CMPA added that the new licensing framework from the CRTC has the "potential to undermine" Parliament's work on the Online Streaming Act. "This is a needless distraction from the government’s forward-thinking focus on modernizing federal cultural policy for the digital age," the CMPA wrote. The CMPA also released a number of letters of support – all featuring similar language – from a raft of cultural organizations, including the Indigenous Screen Office, the Black Screen Office, The Documentary Organization of Canada, Film Ontario, the Alberta Media Production Industries Association, Screen Nova Scotia, On Screen Manitoba, and the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association. Specifically, the CMPA is asking the cabinet to return the decision to the CRTC, with directions to include a baseline requirement for Canadian programming exhibition from under-represented categories, and a baseline expenditure requirement for programs from independent Canadian production companies. The organization is also seeking a cap on the amount of programming that can be "redirected to its exempt digital services," as well as terms of trade agreements with the CMPA and l’Association québécoise de la production médiatique. — Reporting by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca and editing by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

CMPA files petition to cabinet on CBC license

Broadcast | August 8, 2022

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CMPA files petition to cabinet on CBC license

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