The Canada Media Fund (CMF) on Monday unveiled its 2026-2029 Indigenous Action Plan, Answering the Call, which it describes as “a strategic roadmap outlining our continued commitment to institutional allyship and Indigenous narrative sovereignty.”
The plan aims to strengthen indigenous participation in Canada’s screen-based industry and foster long-term structural support for indigenous-led content creation and indigenous-owned companies, says a CMF press release.
“Our Indigenous Action Plan is the culmination of a nearly two-year process and is shaped by dialogue with key industry partners, independent consultants, and an industry engagement phase,” Valerie Creighton, CMF president and CEO, said in the press release. “It reflects what we heard during focus group consultations, follow-up discussions, and through a dedicated Indigenous Industry Participation survey: to advance narrative sovereignty and economic prosperity for Indigenous creators we must move toward flexibility, long-term capacity-building, and increased participation and visibility for Indigenous creators and their works.”
The CMF’s Indigenous Action Plan is built on seven priorities:
- Prioritize indigenous ownership and narrative sovereignty
- Strengthen indigenous production and creation capacity
- Enhance CMF responsiveness and indigenous participation in CMF programs
- Amplify visibility of indigenous content in Canada and internationally
- Demonstrate institutional allyship across the screen sector
- Advance indigenous data sovereignty
- Increase indigenous engagement and representation across the organization
The CMF said the plan builds on nearly three decades of investment in indigenous storytelling, including the co-creation of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) in 2017, the fall 2024 CMF-ISO partnership on the ISO’s Interactive and Immersive Program, the 2025-2026 transfer of the CMF’s Indigenous Program administration to the ISO, and sustained growth in indigenous representation across CMF-funded productions.
The plan also responds directly to findings from the CMF’s Indigenous Industry Participation Survey, which identified funding access, application complexity, mentorship, and regional and market-access barriers as priority areas for the sector, the CMF said.
Front cover of the Canada Media Fund’s 2026-2029 Indigenous Action Plan, Answering the Call
