OTTAWA – The CRTC today released a call for comments on the distribution of the Russian state-financed English-language news channel RT in Canada after receiving an order from the Governor in Council requesting a hearing be held on the matter.
A motion to issue the order was passed in the House of Commons this past Monday, a day after major television service providers including Bell, Telus and Rogers announced they would be dropping RT from their channel lineups.
The order, which was sent March 2, specifically asked the Commission to “hold a hearing to determine whether RT (formerly known as Russia Today) and RT France (collectively RT) should be removed from the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada,” the call for comments says.
RT was authorized for distribution by the CRTC in 2009. The two channels addressed in the call for comments are listed as Russia Today and RT France in the Commission’s list of non-Canadian programming services and stations currently authorized for distribution.
The order from the government “indicates that the Government of Canada has concerns as to whether programs broadcast by RT and RT France would violate regulations made by the Commission under the Act, if those programs had been broadcast by a licensed Canadian programming undertaking,” according to the CRTC’s call for comments.
The Commission has been asked to report as soon as possible but must report within two weeks of the order becoming effective. As such, those wanting to submit interventions need to do so quickly – the deadline is March 8.
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