Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director, Broadcasting
Scott Hutton, Chief, Consumer and Research
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
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Good evening and thank you for inviting us to appear before your committee.
Before we begin our remarks, I would like to thank the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People for having us here as a guest on their unceded, unsurrendered territory. I would also like to thank them for being stewards of the land and waters in this area since time immemorial.
I am joined today by my colleagues Scott Hutton, Chief of Consumer and Research, and Rachelle Frenette, General Counsel.
Before we get to your questions, we will briefly touch on two things. First, the CRTC's role with respect to official languages and official language minority communities. And then my colleague Scott Hutton will speak to how French culture has been reflected in our decisions as a result of our recent proceedings.
So starting with our role. As you know, the CRTC is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold open public hearings on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and make decisions based on the public record.
In broadcasting, we are responsible for achieving the policy objectives of the Broadcasting Act. The Act recognizes, among other things, that English and French-speaking communities have different requirements. We must consider the impact of our decisions with this in mind. In fact, the Online Streaming Act stated specifically that while the two communities share common aspects, it is our duty to consider the minority context of French in North America. This is something we strive to do in all our decisions.
Over the years, the CRTC has established regulatory policies that take into account the different needs of the French-language market. These include, for example, the requirement that French-language commercial radio stations play a certain percentage of French-language music each week.
We also require broadcasters in Canada to make certain culturally relevant channels available in markets where there are official language minority communities. These include important French-language channels such as TVA, Ici RDI, and MétéoMédia. These measures are in part how we are fulfilling the mandate given to us by the Broadcasting Act to make English and French language broadcasting of equivalent access and quality across Canada.
As an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal, the CRTC makes decisions based on the evidence submitted on the public record of its proceedings. We build that record by seeking input from the public and interested parties. That includes both English and French-speaking communities across Canada.
Additionally, the views of Quebec are well-represented in our processes through the interventions we receive from the Quebecois public and interested parties like the Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video (ADISQ), the Union des artistes, the Alliance des producteurs francophones, and the Quebec government.
To give an example, many French-speaking groups and communities took part in our recent proceeding to implement the amended Broadcasting Act. The proceeding included special interest organizations like Audition Québec, community stations like Télévision communautaire du Témiscamingue, province-wide stations like Télé‑Québec, and the Quebec government itself through an intervention from the Ministry of Culture and Communications. The Ministry, for example, told us about the importance of acknowledging Quebec's support for its own broadcasting system and not penalizing broadcasters for receiving that provincial support.
It is based on the public record, and on all the input provided, that we identified French-language content and official language minority communities as two areas that need immediate support. Our decision on the base contributions of online streaming services, published earlier this month, ensures that funding will be directed to these areas.
This is just one example of many-French-speaking communities from across the country provide valuable input in all CRTC proceedings, including on the implementation of the Online News Act, the creation of the Internet Service Provider Code, and the reviewing of the Wireless Code, just to name a few.
We are required by the Broadcasting Act to ensure French-language and official language minority communities have equitable access to broadcasting that meets their needs. We do this by basing every decision on the public record we build through open and transparent consultations. We look forward to building on our track record of success in this area and maintaining a constant dialogue with all our partners.
Thank you. We look forward to your questions.
