OTTAWA — The Canada Media Fund is later this month launching its national survey to get perspectives from the audiovisual sector on how the current definition of Canadian content should evolve in light of bill C-11, the legislation that will empower the CRTC to force foreign streamers to contribute to domestic content.
The 10-minute survey, which will be open on February 27, was designed in collaboration with firms La Societe des demains and Humain Humain and was “informed by input from the CMF’s annual industry consultations and preliminary in-depth interviews with dozens of individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives,” the release added.
The survey will lead to a “What You Said” report, which is set to be published before the CRTC embarks on a policy review of the bill after its signing into law. The bill is being debated in the House after passing the Senate earlier this month.
“The survey is a central component of the CMF’s multi-phase Canadian content definition initiative (#CanConDef) announced in September 2022 that facilitates industry-wide discussions, with as many voices as possible, on how modernizing the definition can meet the aspirations of an evolving industry,” the CMF said in a press release.
The survey will be complemented by a “public-facing” survey to “gauge popular perceptions of Canadian content,” and will have industry workshops in the spring.
“As the country’s largest funder of Canadian screen content, and following on our nationwide consultation, we recognize the critical importance of the many voices in our industry and our role as convenor in bringing those voices to the CRTC’s upcoming formal proceeding, which will include the definition of Canadian content,” Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF, said in the release. “This survey is an opportunity for us to gather viewpoints from across the country, highlight our similarities, honour differences in perspectives, and demonstrate that we can all work together on this critical conversation to strengthen Canadian stories for years to come.”
