By Ahmad Hathout
Nearly five months after the Online Streaming Act became law, the CRTC warned about a delay in implementing the new rules after its request for funding was denied by the Department of Finance, according to a letter obtained by Cartt.
“The CRTC began working with Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Finance to have approved financing and a revised fee regime in place for April 1, 2024,” CRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides wrote in the heavily redacted September 19, 2023 letter to then Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge.
“We were counting on…
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A consortium of federal creative organizations is partnering to prioritize and harmonize the measurement and collection of audience data to better understand and amplify Canadian stories.
Telefilm, the Canada Media Fund (CMF), the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) said Thursday that the new audience data initiative is a “concerted audience-centred approach” that will “inform more effective strategies for reaching audiences, increasing the impact of the richness and diversity of Canadian and Indigenous stories —whether in feature films, television, documentaries, or animated films— and ensuring its discoverability across digital platforms and cinemas,” a press…
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Advocacy groups for Canadian film, TV and media production companies are applauding Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s recently released set of proposed changes to modernize the mandate, funding and governance of CBC/Radio-Canada.
The proposed amendments range from prohibiting advertising during CBC/Radio-Canada’s news and public affairs programming and ending subscription fees for its digital services to establishing predictable and stable funding via a statutory appropriation based on an annual per capita formula.
In a statement released Saturday, the Quebec English-language Production Council (QEPC), speaking on behalf of the official language minority community (OLMC) film and TV production industry…
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Responding to a petition sponsored by Conservative MP James Bezan asking the federal government to recover all taxpayer funds spent on the production of the controversial documentary Russians at War, the Canadian government via the minister of Canadian Heritage has said concerns about the Canada Media Fund’s support for the project should be directed to the CMF.
The petition, which garnered 3,047 signatures before closing on Oct. 17, was presented to the House of Commons by Bezan on Oct. 21. The federal government tabled its response Dec. 4.
“It is important to note that as a…
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Heritage policy advisor expressed concern over ‘integrity of CAVCO’s administration,’ application alleges
Update: On May 8, 2025, the movie producer discontinued this application.
By Ahmad Hathout
A Canadian movie producer is asking the Federal Court to look into whether Canadian Heritage arbitrarily rejected its tax credit application.
Paige Darcy Productions Inc., which had been created for the sole purpose of producing the movie Paige Darcy and the Case of the Stoned Cat, claims in its judicial review application dated November 6 that Heritage’s Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) denied its application based on concerns about how it funds its production, despite not raising…
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Canadian Heritage announced Monday the launch of a fund that is intended to “support incentives and initiatives to encourage greater participation by diverse communities in the media and cultural industries.”
The Changing Narratives Fund was spawned via the 2024 budget, in which the federal government pledged $10 million over three years to assist “diverse communities and organizations, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, ethno-religious minorities, 2SLGBTQI+ and persons with disabilities, have their stories, experiences and perspectives better represented in the media and cultural industries, which will allow Canadians to appreciate and understand Canada’s diversity,” according to a Heritage release.
The fund will go…
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By Howard Law, author of Canada vs. California, and MediaPolicy.ca
Earlier this month Cartt published “C-11, CRTC, and destabilizing market-driven CanCon,” an opinion piece from Len St-Aubin.
Two years ago St-Aubin and I volleyed back and forth on the merits of the Online Streaming Act as it passed the House of Commons. I suppose the two grumpy old men are back at it again: St-Aubin’s recent column is an indictment of the current regulatory state of affairs and here I am responding.
For the sake of brevity and avoiding repetitious debate, I will…
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By Connie Thiessen
Independent ethnic community television producers have launched the “This Show is Made with Zero Support from the Government” campaign, saying third-language programming is in jeopardy without more funding.
A number of shows broadcast on Rogers Sports & Media multicultural broadcaster OMNI TV began airing the public service announcements last week, which warn viewers that without support, multicultural voices could start disappearing from the airwaves, urging their audiences to contact their local Member of Parliament.
The producers say advertising revenues are insufficient to maintain quality programming and the campaign has been launched out of frustration with government inaction.
“Politicians and government…
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While visiting the University of British Columbia (UBC) on Wednesday, Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge announced $129,375 in funding for UBC’s Municipal Mis/Disinformation project, which responds to the problem of online climate misinformation and disinformation at the local level.
The project is receiving the funding through the federal government’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program, which supports the priorities of the Digital Citizen Initiative by providing financial assistance to Canadian researchers and civil society organizations that promote a healthy information ecosystem and help Canadians and the government understand online disinformation and its…
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Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge announced Monday the appointment of an advisory committee that will provide policy advice on the role, mission and governance of Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada.
The committee composed of seven experts and specialists will be tasked with providing advice “on how to strengthen and renew the public broadcaster so it can continue to fulfill its important social, cultural and democratic functions,” says a Heritage press release.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is a cornerstone of Canadian culture,” St-Onge said in a statement. “For almost 90 years, our public broadcaster has been a…
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