By Doug Barrett, adjunct professor in the Arts, Media & Entertainment MBA Program at the Schulich School of Business. From 2004 to 2008 he was the chair of the Canadian Television Fund
Phil Lind was an unlikely hero, but a genuine one. Since his passing, much has been written about his decades’ – long service to Rogers Communications, his role as consiglieri to Ted Rogers, his determined recovery from a major stroke in his mid-fifties, his art collection, and his love of the Yukon.
However, scant attention has been paid to what I think is his greatest accomplishment: he was the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Regina member of Parliament Andrew Scheer has asked the federal government to provide more information about the rationale and cost behind a registry of companies set up by the CRTC that is intended for them to contribute to the enrichment of Canadian content.
The former Conservative Party leader has tabled two sets of inquiries in the House of Commons Monday, with one requesting specifics as to the overall rationale for setting up the registry and how the commission arrived at the $10 million annual revenue threshold to include companies for possible regulation.
Under that set of questions,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC communicated with Canadian Heritage over months about the information it was going use in its messaging about the Online Streaming Act, but that was not for soliciting comment or approval, the regulator told Cartt.
Earlier this year, Conservative member of Parliament Martin Shields of Bow River, Alberta, tabled a request for the government to provide detailed communications between the regulator and the department about the legislation that requires online streaming services to contribute to Canadian content.
The Conservatives have accused the independent regulator of parroting government talking points about the legislation after…
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TORONTO and MONTREAL – The Canada Media Fund said Monday it is starting the process of making changes to its funding programs that will take a platform-agnostic approach to supporting content creators, in lockstep with the federal government’s modernization of the broadcasting industry via the Online Streaming Act.
“After several years of calls for change from the industry we proudly support, the Department of Canadian Heritage has unlocked new authorities for the CMF to administer our funding and programs moving forward,” reads a CMF press release.
“As the CRTC undertakes its process to…
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TORONTO – After a year-long research initiative on Canadian content — which included interviews, a survey, in-person and virtual workshops, and written submissions — the Canada Media Fund last week officially released New Futures for Canadian Content: What You Said, a landmark report by independent research firm La Société des demains that draws on viewpoints from more than 2,800 industry professionals and the public from across the country.
“Our industry stands at a pivotal juncture. After over 1,000 hours of feedback, the insights gathered in this report prove that Canadian content matters more than ever,” said Valerie Creighton,…
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By Connie Thiessen
OTTAWA — Canadian Heritage has provided more clarity on which platforms will be subject to the Online News Act and what they will need to do to be exempted from the mandatory bargaining process.
Set to go into effect on Dec. 19, ahead of a public consultation process that will get underway this fall, the Act will only apply to digital platforms providing news content with total global revenue of more than $1 billion a year, with 20 million or more Canadian average monthly unique visitors or active users.
According to Canadian Heritage, the bargaining process with search engines…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – An order in council published Monday will direct the CRTC to include modified shopping channels from the United States on a list of authorized foreign programming services available on Canadian television.
The order amends a three-year-old one that only directed the CRTC to list unmodified U.S. home shopping programming, which is specific to the U.S. market. The orders are part of an agreement between the countries under the new Canada United States and Mexica (CUSMA) free trade agreement, which replaced NAFTA under former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The order amends the direction to the CRTC “respecting the…
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CBC calls it “irresponsible” and “abuse of power”; CAB says it shows “tangible disregard for democracy”
Starting Tuesday, Meta has begun blocking Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram for their users in Canada.
In an update Tuesday to its June announcement of its intention to end news availability on its platforms in Canada, in response to the passing of the Online News Act, Meta says these changes “will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks.”
The changes mean news links…
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By Connie Thiessen
OTTAWA — Pascale St-Onge has been appointed the new Minister of Canadian Heritage as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an anticipated cabinet shuffle Wednesday morning.
The Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi, St-Onge previously served as Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.
Her background includes serving as Secretary General and later President of the Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture, where she worked to develop public policy to address the challenges facing media, newspapers, and the cultural sector and programs to help adapt to shifts brought…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA — In a rare display of non-partisanship support for government legislation, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez – joined by his opposition counterparts Martin Champoux of the Bloc Québécois and Peter Julian of the New Democrats – announced at a Parliament Hill news conference on Wednesday that the federal government will suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram in response to parent company Meta Platforms Inc.’s decision to end news availability on both platforms prior to bill C-18 taking effect.
Last week, Google followed suit and announced that it would…
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