By Moyra Rodger, CEO of Magnify Digital, a boutique digital agency specializing in online marketing strategy, advertising, and training for the screen media industry
A new wave of Canadian patriotism is emerging in response to U.S. tariffs, making this the perfect moment to focus on what truly matters—our stories. More than ever, Canadian content must reach audiences at home and abroad.
Securing the future of Canadian content means moving beyond a system that prioritizes production and treats audience engagement as an afterthought. Both legacy and digital-first producers need a unified approach to capturing and sustaining audience attention. If we fail to…
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By Connie Thiessen
Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister on Friday morning, along with a new, leaner cabinet of 23 ministers.
Among other changes, Steven Guilbeault is out as Environment minister and reassigned as Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, and Parks Canada, in addition to serving as Carney’s Quebec Lieutenant. Guilbeault previously served as Canadian Heritage minister from Nov. 2019 to Oct. 2021. Quebec MP Pascale St-Onge, who is not reoffering in the coming federal election, had held the portfolio since July 2023.
Canada Media Fund (CMF) President and CEO Valerie Creighton welcomed Guilbeault on his…
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Canadian Heritage has announced the appointment of Dominique Lapierre to Telefilm Canada’s board of directors.
Lapierre’s appointment was made Feb. 28 by Order in Council. Her five-year term will start June 1, 2025.
Based in Montreal, Lapierre is currently the executive director of Théâtre de la Ville, a position she has held since 2021.
A law graduate from McGill University, she has a long association with Telefilm. She first joined the audiovisual funding organization in 2002 as legal counsel for the feature film unit, and was promoted in 2006 to the position of deputy director of…
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A new report from the Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC), an industry association that promotes English-language film and television production in Quebec, shows that while the annual volume of film and TV production within Canada’s official language minority community (OLMC) in Quebec is recovering from the Covid-19 downturn, it continues to face challenges.
Co-authored by the QEPC and consulting firm Nordicity, the Canadian Audiovisual Regional Production Report 1996-97 to 2022-23 is a 27-year quantitative study that examines national and regional production trends across Canada, focusing on OLMC production in Quebec. It is an updated analysis of the previous edition…
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Public broadcaster says it will hire up to 30 new journalists
CBC News announced Wednesday it will hire up to 30 new permanent journalists in 22 underserved communities across Canada, following the CRTC’s approval of Google’s plan to compensate Canadian news organization for use of their content.
Google has committed to providing a $100-million fund to host news content from news organizations across Canada, allowing it to be exempted under the Online News Act. CBC, which obtains funding from both private and public sources, is allowed to draw up to a maximum of seven per…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A group of creatives sent a letter last week to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the relevant cabinet ministers requesting that the government include in its fall economic statement a doubling of Canada Media Fund’s stabilization subsidy to $85 million and make permanent a $30-million annual commitment to its equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) initiatives.
The letter, addressed to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge and seen by Cartt, states that the CMF’s EDIA initiatives – backed by a $20 million per year injection over three years from the 2020 federal budget –…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A paper petition calling on the federal government to prop up local radio and television news after a string of layoffs in the industry has been presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The petition, which was carried by Kingston Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, is asking that government to extend the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit to include radio and television; dedicate 70 per cent of federal government advertising dollars on local radio, TV, print and digital media; and eliminate tax-deductions for advertising purchased on foreign-owned, internet-delivered media sites and services.
“The abrupt departures of radio and television…
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By Connie Thiessen
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has confirmed the appointment of Marie-Philippe Bouchard as CBC/Radio-Canada’s next president and CEO.
Appointed for a five-year term, effective Jan. 3, Bouchard’s appointment had been widely rumoured since last week when Quebec media outlets, including Radio-Canada, reported she was in line for the job.
Bouchard has served as President and CEO of francophone public broadcaster TV5 Québec Canada since 2016, overseeing the TV5 Unis channels and platforms, in addition to presiding over TV5 Numérique, TV5MONDE’s partner in establishing international French-language platform TV5MONDEPlus.
Prior to joining TV5, Bouchard held management and executive positions at CBC/Radio-Canada in legal services, strategic planning, regulatory affairs, and digital services, most recently as Director…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A Senate bill to impose a nationwide framework regulating advertising for sports betting could reduce those ads at a time when the provinces are still navigating the nascent market and as broadcasters are desperately grasping for any advertising dollars they can get, the head of a major broadcasting group told senators on the Transport and Communications committee Wednesday night.
Bill S-269 would task the minister of Canadian Heritage to consult various government departments to create a national framework “with a view to restricting the use of such advertising, limiting the scope or location … or…
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Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced Tuesday the appointment of Drew Olsen as vice chair and CEO of the Copyright Board of Canada for a five-year term, starting Aug. 26.
In this position, Olsen will lead the work of the Copyright Board as well as supervise and direct board staff. He succeeds Nathalie Théberge, who was recently appointed as the CRTC’s vice chair of broadcasting for a five-year term that began in April.
Olsen is currently associate director general of the audiovisual branch at Canadian Heritage. While at the department, he has held other leadership…
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