Ensuring that Canada’s diversity is reflected in its broadcasting system

The CRTC has recently put an emphasis on the reflection of Canada’s multiculturalism in the Canadian broadcasting system. CRTC vice- chair of broadcasting Andrée Wylie spoke about how Canada’s diversity is reflected in the broadcasting system in mid-February at a forum in Montreal on Canadian Media, Race and Cultural Diversity in the 21st Century. An edited version of her speech follows: I am very happy to be here today to talk to you about how Canada’s broadcasting system reflects this country in all its diversity and, more importantly, how, with your efforts and ours, it can even better reflect this country’s diversity, in keeping with the pace of change in Canada’s demographics…Today, I plan to paint a broad overview of the CRTC’s approach to diversity in broadcasting…Section 3(1) (d) (iii) of the Broadcasting Act requires that the Canadian broadcasting system, "through its programming and employment opportunities arising out of its operations, serve the needs and interests, and reflect the circumstances and aspirations, of Canadian men, women and children, including equal rights, the linguistic duality and multicultural and multiracial nature of Canadian society and the special place of aboriginal peoples within that society." A delicate balancing act is what is required of us at the CRTC…in every decision we make…I would like to zero in on three main areas of the Canadian broadcasting system where, taking its cue from the goals of the Broadcasting Act, the commission has devised policies, issued licences, and implemented regulations to further the objective of diversity and balanced reflection in the system. First we revised our 1985 Ethnic Broadcasting Policy in 1999. Secondly, we have an updated policy governing aboriginal broadcasting and, thirdly, we are looking at accelerating improvement in the contribution to diversity and balanced reflection that the conventional or mainstream broadcasting system must make. These three aspects reflect the overall approach of the CRTC. ...Canadians now enjoy 14 ethnic radio stations, which serve Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. There are five Canadian ethnic specialty services serving Chinese, Italian, Hispanic, South Asian and Greek audiences. And among the hundreds of digital specialties licensed just over a year ago, we awarded 42 so-called Category 2 ethnic specialty services, of which a number have already launched. Since then, the commission has received several more applications for ethnic Category 2 services. Although the number of SCMO (subsidiary communications multiplex operation) services is hard to assess accurately, we know that Canada’s larger urban centres enjoy numerous such radio services, including some in Korean, Persian, Indo-Pakistani, Greek, Chinese, Tamil, German and East Indian languages. The licence issued…for a new television station in Vancouver was granted to Multivan Broadcast Corporation. The new station will be a locally owned service whose shareholders include members of Vancouver’s ethnic communities...We know that licensing aboriginal and ethnic services meets the information and entertainment needs of many Canadians. However, we are also acutely aware that our goal of accurately and fairly reflecting racial and ethnocultural diversity cannot be met fully without the participation of mainstream broadcasters, be they public or private. …Our recently revised TV policy, Building on Success – A Policy Framework for Canadian Television, identifies two clear objectives for the conventional Canadian television system with respect to cultural diversity: One, the broadcasting system should be a mirror in which all Canadians can see themselves and see themselves fairly portrayed; accurately, and without stereotypes. And two, that the broadcasting system should be one in which producers, writers technicians and artists from different cultural and social perspectives have the opportunity to participate. …Therefore, as part of their licence renewal, the three largest conventional television groups in Canada, TVA, CTV and Global, agreed to develop and provide the commission with a plan outlining the concrete actions they would take to better reflect the presence of cultural and racial minorities and the Aboriginal peoples in the communities they serve. We are now in the process of examining their plans.

Ensuring that Canada’s diversity is reflected in its broadcasting system

Broadcast | March 15, 2002

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