Canada’s television regulator – the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (crtc) – no longer requires Canadian producers to contribute a minimum of 65% of the financing for an official coproduction in order to access funding from certified independent production funds.

‘The [65%] rule may have created a disincentive for producers using the independent production funds,’ says Jean-Pierre Blais, executive director of broadcasting at the crtc. ‘We’re getting in line with the [Canadian Television Fund] and Telefilm Canada rules.’

With the removal of the 65% rule, funds can finance more projects and producers can have more access, which is why independent funds last fall asked the crtc to amend the eligibility criteria.

Each treaty must still have a Canadian producer on board, most agreements still require a minimum financial participation of 20% on the part of the minority partner country, and all must be approved by recognized authorities in both countries, according to established Telefilm guidelines.