Canada’s CMPA Petitions for Rejection of CRTC’s CBC Decision

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has submitted a petition to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, asking him to set aside, or refer back, the CRTC’s license renewal decision for the CBC because of its omission of a “key license condition.”

The CRTC renewed the broadcasting license for CBC’s English- and French-language services in June, and the new five-year term is set to begin on September 1. Under the new conditions, CBC is permitted to include some program spending from its digital services toward its regulatory requirements. The decision also outlines provisions for spending on programming made by Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ and disabled people.

The CMPA, which is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, says it has “deep concerns,” though, about the elimination of a key license condition that required the CBC to work with independent media producers in the production of Canadian programming.

“This is a decision from the CRTC that frankly came out of left field and will negatively alter the Canadian media production landscape in a number of troubling ways,” said Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the CMPA. “The decision undermines federal broadcasting policy objectives and is fundamentally dangerous to the future of Canada’s independent media production sector.”

The CMPA asserts that the CRTC decision removes “pivotal protections responsible for the recognized success of the Canadian broadcasting system.” It also notes that the removal of the broadcasting obligation in question was taken [without prior warning, without evidence supporting the need for such a shift, and was not requested by the CBC or by any other stakeholder that participated in the license renewal process.”

“The CBC is the most significant commissioner of independent programming in Canada, and the removal of this condition will have a precedent-setting negative impact on the future of Canadian programming,” added Mastin.