AS THE FEDERAL government works towards modernizing Canada’s broadcasting system through Bill C-11, its intentions for the future of the country’s national public broadcaster remain murky at best.
The mandate letter provided to Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez makes it clear the government intends to modernize CBC/Radio-Canada, but what that will look like, how it will be done and when remain mysteries.
Among other things, the minister’s mandate letter says the Corporation’s mandate should be updated “to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of Canadian audiences, with unique programming that distinguishes it from private broadcasters.”
CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate is not being updated through Bill C-11, which only slightly modifies it. Rather, as Rodriguez said during a fireside chat at Prime Time in early February this year, the Corporation’s mandate will be updated later down the road in a further step.
Rodriguez said at the time he was not sure exactly when this will happen but said it would likely be in the short midterm.
Canadian Heritage did not provide much of an update on how CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate will be updated or when it will happen when Cartt.ca asked recently, however a spokesperson for the department did indicate Canadians will be consulted.
“As we take further steps to modernize the broadcasting system, we will consult with Canadians as we consider how best to position our national public broadcaster to meet the needs and expectations of Canadians, now and in the future.
“No additional information is available at this time,” the spokesperson said via email.
The spokesperson did not provide any more details about CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding either when asked.
The minister’s mandate letter says CBC/Radio-Canada should be provided with “additional funding to make it less reliant on private advertising, with a goal of eliminating advertising during news and other public affairs shows.”
There were no additional funds for the public broadcaster allocated in the federal government’s budget last week, however, so without an answer from Canadian Heritage, it remains unclear how this item from the mandate letter will be fulfilled or when it will happen.
Despite the potential of major changes being made to Canada’s national public broadcaster and the uncertainty of when and how they will be made, the CRTC will renew the Corporation’s licences in the next few months. The licences set out the terms and conditions CBC/Radio-Canada must follow – for example, how much advertising it can broadcast on which services.
Late last month the Commission administratively renewed CBC/Radio-Canada’s licences – one of several administrative renewals since the CRTC’s last full renewal of the Corporation’s licences in 2013. CBC/Radio-Canada’s licences now all expire Aug. 31, 2022, although the Commission intends to issue a decision on the matter no later than June 30, the document renewing the Corporation’s licences says.
It is unclear how each piece of the puzzle – CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate, its funding and its licences – will work together to ensure its place in Canada’s modernized broadcast system.
At this point, with the information available, it is hard to see how the puzzle pieces are intended fit together at all.
