Highlights from the policy directions to the CRTC

On this page

• What are policy directions?
• Highlights from the policy directions to the CRTC
  • Ensure meaningful participation of Indigenous persons
  • Supporting Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)
  • Support diversity and inclusion
  • Support Canadian creators and media
  • Exclude social media creators
  • Discoverability and showcasing
  • Redefine Canadian programs
  • Create an equitable, flexible and adaptable regulatory framework
• Refer to the full policy directions for more details

What are policy directions?

Under the Broadcasting Act, the Governor in Council can provide directions to the CRTC on policy matters of broad application.

The Government of Canada has issued policy directions to the CRTC, which will be responsible for the implementation of the Act.

Before issuing the final directions, the Department of Canadian Heritage held consultations on the proposed directions and the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement, from June 10 to July 25, 2023. The comments received during those consultations are available on the Canada Gazette website.

Highlights from the policy directions to the CRTC

Ensure meaningful participation of Indigenous persons

The policy directions reflect the importance of support and engagement that aim to further reconciliation and narrative sovereignty, support programming in Indigenous languages, and help address the repercussions of historical injustices and colonial legacies that have contributed to an underrepresentation of Indigenous stories and Indigenous-owned broadcasting undertakings in Canada’s broadcasting landscape.

Supporting Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)

The broadcasting system should enhance the vitality of OLMCs in Canada and foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society, including by supporting the production and broadcasting of original programs in both languages. The CRTC is directed to meaningfully engage with members of OLMCs regarding the funding, distribution and discoverability of programming made by and for those communities.

Support diversity and inclusion

The CRTC is directed to meaningfully engage with Black and other racialized communities, members of other equity-seeking groups and Canadians of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds regarding support for the creation, availability and discoverability of programming made by members of these communities and groups. Expenditure requirements should support the creation of programming by creators from these groups and communities, taking into consideration challenges they face.

The CRTC is also directed to regulate and supervise the broadcasting sector in a way that supports programming being available without barriers to persons with disabilities.

Support Canadian creators and media

The CRTC is directed to ensure that the broadcasting sector will maximize its use of Canadian creators and strongly support the creation and discovery of diverse Canadian programming.

Exclude social media creators

Building on provisions in the Broadcasting Act that ensure that social media users are not regulated by the CRTC, the policy directions further ensure that users’ and social media creators’ content will not be regulated, including podcasts. The policy directions only allow social media services to be regulated in respect of content that is produced by a broadcaster or broadcast by another broadcasting service, such as TV, radio, or online streaming services. When it comes to podcasts, the CRTC would only be able to regulate streaming platforms with respect to podcasts produced by broadcasters, such as radio networks or audio streaming services.

Discoverability and showcasing

The CRTC is directed to consider different methods of discoverability and showcasing for Canadian programs, focusing on outcomes. It is directed to, where possible, increase choice for users and to give streaming services flexibility in how they showcase Canadian programs.

Redefine Canadian programs

The CRTC is directed to prioritize its examination of how it defines Canadian programs in the audio and audio-visual sectors. Its definition should, among other things:

• be multi-faceted and interact with evolving Canadian content policies,
• recognize the vital roles played by Canadian independent producers and production companies, and the crucial relevance of Canadian creative personnel that have a high degree of creative control or visibility – such as actors, writers, directors, and showrunners – being used by both Canadian and foreign broadcasting undertakings.

Create an equitable, flexible and adaptable regulatory framework

The CRTC is directed to create clear rules for all broadcasters requiring them to contribute to the creation, production and distribution of Canadian stories and music in a way that is flexible and fair. The CRTC is encouraged to be adaptable in its approach, taking different business models into account and considering how to coordinate with other regulators.

Refer to the full policy directions for more details

For more information, see the text of the policy directions and the regulatory impact assessment statement.