OTTAWA – Canadian Heritage has on Tuesday finalized its policy direction to the CRTC on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.
The final version doesn’t deviate on major goals from the proposal the department put out in June, specifically outlining that social media creators and certain single transactional media, such as video games, will not be regulated.
The CRTC, which already set a $10-million threshold for broadcasters to register basic information with the regulator, said it still would like social media and other media forms, including podcasts, to register so it can monitor their impact on the industry.
The final direction, whose ultimate aim is to get foreign digital streamers to contribute to Canadian content, includes the need for the CRTC to regularly review expenditure requirements “to ensure that they are proportional to their objectives,” which must be made clear; provide flexibility for all registered broadcasters to meet the requirements; consider diversity of ethnocultural groups, including indigenous and minority groups; ensure it takes into consideration the challenges involved in making French-language programming; ensure support for local news and current events programming; and support activities and services such as training and development conferences that support Canadian creators.
It also orders the CRTC to “consider whether its determination of what constitutes a Canadian program complements other Canadian content policies that are applicable to the Canadian broadcasting system, including those pertaining to audio-visual tax credits or government funding.”
The commission said it will embark on defining Canadian content as part of its roadmap to implementation.
Registration with the CRTC is due by November 28.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters said in a statement Tuesday that it is pleased to see the government “taking steps to address the inequities created by the unfettered access foreign online giants have to the Canadian market,” says CAB President Kevin Desjardins. “It is long past time that these foreign players contribute their fair share to help support the Canadian media ecosystem.”
The national president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), a union representing performers in recorded media, said in a statement Tuesday that the organization is “optimistic that the directive to maximize the use of Canadian creative and human resources, if enforced correctly, will improve the working lives of ACTRA performers and help strengthen the Canadian screen industry in the years to come.”
Photo of Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge.
