By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Friday it will hold dedicated consultations with groups representing the interests of official language minority communities (OLMCs) when a decision will adversely impact them.
“During these dedicated consultations, the Commission will provide groups representing the interests of OLMCs with additional time to submit comments, as well as additional notice of proceedings, which will provide an explanation of the issues relevant to OLMCs,” the CRTC said.
OLMCs, as defined by the Broadcasting Act and the Online News Act, are English-speaking communities in Quebec and French-speaking communities outside of Quebec. The CRTC is keeping with that strict definition. However, it said will clearly identify during its proceedings which issues may be of particular interest to both OLMCs and the French-speaking majority in Quebec.
The CRTC said these dedicated consultations – assessed on a case-by-case basis – will occur when the CRTC makes a “decision,” which it said makes the impact on the communities clearer and will allow them to focus their interventions. But they will also occur when “policies or initiatives” could adversely affect these communities.
The “adverse effect” of a decision, policy or initiative must have “serious and foreseeable harm,” the regulator further ruled, noting that this will ensure that dedicated consultations will be focused on situations where OLMCs may face “significant disadvantages” that are “reasonably identifiable” at the time of the decision.
“This threshold ensures that the obligation to consult is triggered by the apprehension of a real and predictable harm (rather than by speculative or minor concerns), while also recognizing that the adverse effect does not need to be immediate,” the CRTC said, adding applicants or commenters are encouraged to consider and address the potential impact of their proposals on these communities and official languages.
The regulator said the guidelines, which are focused on broadcasting proceedings, “may inform” the commission’s processes across other mandates, such as those under the Telecommunications Act and the Online News Act.
“Some Commission work relates to official languages without having an adverse effect on OLMCs,” the CRTC said about other engagement opportunities for the French-speaking majority in Quebec. “In some public proceedings, the Commission might consider taking positive measures to protect and promote the French language, to foster the use of both official languages or to support OLMCs. These types of proceedings may also be of interest to the French-speaking majority in Quebec, which is not considered an OLMC under the Broadcasting Act.”
The work is part of the modernization of the Broadcasting Act and is a result of a consultation the commission held in September 2024.
“Today’s decision builds on the CRTC’s ongoing efforts to make it easier to participate in our proceedings,” CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides said in a press release. “The new measures will help ensure that the voices and perspectives of official language minority communities and the French-speaking majority in Quebec are reflected more fully in our broadcasting work.”
Screenshot of CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides
