OTTAWA – The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage today heard from several witnesses who warned that if the proposed merger between Rogers and Shaw were to go through, there would be serious consequences for local news in Canada.
The witnesses who appeared before the committee today included representatives from the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS), the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, Open Media and Quebecor Media Inc.
Witnesses from the CRTC (Scott Hutton, chief of consumer, research and communications and Daniel Pye, director of television programming) were also…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Although Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, was introduced on Feb. 2, it had not yet been debated in the House of Commons – that is how the House works.
The first debate happens at the second reading, which happened today.
The tone of the exchanges and the positions of different party representatives can give us a sense of where this bill is going and whether we will repeat the parliamentary process of C-10, the previous version of the legislation to update the Broadcasting Act, that led to the demise of the bill even if the…
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GATINEAU – The Government of Canada today announced it is extending its Short-Term Compensation Fund (STCF) for Canadian audiovisual production until March 31, 2023.
“While it is encouraging that many productions have already resumed thanks to the Fund’s support, there is still a pressing need for this program, especially as the public health situation continues to evolve,” a Canadian Heritage press release says.
Telefilm Canada, which has been administering the funds since the program was launched in October 2020, “will continue to provide as much as $150 million in compensation until 2023 to production companies whose filming has been interrupted…
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By Denis Carmel
AFTER LISTENING TO TWO ex-ministers of Canadian Heritage, one is struck by what political culture has become and how carefully government must navigate that realm.
The Canadian Media Production Association’s annual gabfest, Prime Time, formerly, Prime Time in Ottawa, tries to feature some entertainment in the form of discussions that could generate other conversations but also educates producers and other members of the audience on the realities of Ottawa and the importance of politics for their collective future.
That is why today we had the privilege of listening to Sheila Copps (above, right), who was the Liberal minister of…
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GATINEAU – The Department of Canadian Heritage announced yesterday it plans to engage a group of experts who will collaborate with stakeholders and Canadians to advise the government on how it can adjust its proposed approach to dealing with harmful content online.
“This work will be carried out in a transparent and expedited manner, and the Minister will propose a revised framework as soon as possible. The Government of Canada is committed to getting this right and to doing so as quickly as possible,” reads a press release issued by Canadian Heritage.
Yesterday’s announcement came at the same time the government released the…
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OTTAWA – The federal government today introduced what it is calling the Online Streaming Act, or Bill C-11, which, while cutting it close, fulfills its promise to reintroduce legislation to amend the Broadcasting Act within its first 100 days.
Bill C-11 is very similar to Bill C-10, which died when the Liberals called an election last August. The main aims are still centred around including online streamers in the act by adding “online undertakings” to its scope, creating an equitable system and providing the CRTC with more powers and flexibility.
The proposed amendments are “about updating our…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) today announced more details for its virtual Prime Time event, which gets underway Wednesday, Feb. 2.
The conference’s opening reception will be held online at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on Feb. 2 and will feature comedy from Debra DiGiovanni, appearances by Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Son of a Critch) and Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience, Run the Burbs), and trivia from the cast of Amazon Prime Video’s LOL Canada.
On Thursday, Feb. 3 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin will moderate a virtual session…
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“Language is at the heart of cultural identity; it shapes who we are and our perspectives. When we speak our languages, we share stories, pass on knowledge and create bonds for generations.” – Patrimoine canadien – Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, June 14, 2021
EARLY LAST YEAR a group of organizations came together to advocate for inclusion of diverse communities and ethnic programming in Bill C-10. We called ourselves the Canadian Ethnocultural Media Coalition (CEMC). The initial group has expanded and now includes the most active and prolific ethnic media organizations in the country (see list of members below).
As Parliament…
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GATINEAU – Revenue from Canadian broadcasting services declined 6.6% to $15.8 billion in 2019-2020 compared to 2018-2019, the CRTC says.
This is highlighted in the broadcasting portion of the CRTC’s Communications Market Report (CMR; formally the Communications Monitoring Report), released last month, which covers the broadcast year spanning from Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2020, and as such includes around six months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The $15.8 billion in revenue does not include revenues from Internet-based services, known as over-the-top services (OTT), operating under the CRTC’s digital media exemption order.
Over half of the revenues were generated by broadcasting distribution…
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By Denis Carmel
HAWKESBURY – Quietly, on Dec. 29, Judith LaRocque (above) passed away, in her home in Hawkesbury, Ont.
Judith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Carleton University in 1979, and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the same university in 1992.
But most of us knew her at Canadian Heritage where she was deputy minister (2002-2010) and, previously as associate deputy minister.
A respected civil servant, she started her career at Rideau Hall, as secretary to the Governor General, (1990-2000), where she followed Ray Hnatyshyn, after he had been appointed GG. She had…
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