MONTREAL — While the Quebec producers association is fine with the CRTC’s proposal to grant group broadcast licences to media giants, the APFTQ is calling for strict rules to force conventional networks to spend more money on Canadian content.

‘This is a key point for us,’ says spokeswoman Céline Pelletier. ‘We want to ensure broadcasters spend money on high-quality programming and don’t just fulfill their requirements with magazine-type shows that qualify as Canadian content.’

The APFTQ made its proposals to the CRTC on Friday as part of the ongoing hearings into fee-for-carriage and other issues.

The CRTC has proposed that a company such as Quebecor should spend either a percentage of its revenues or 50% of its programming budget on Cancon. The APFTQ proposal goes much further than that. It wants companies to spend a percentage of the average of their revenues over a five-year period and 50% of their programming budgets.

Pelletier says her organization understands the need for flexibility in the multi-channel, Internet age, but says it’s critical to protect the creators of Canadian programming. ‘We recognize the need for the CRTC to simplify things’ by allocating group licences, she tells Playback Daily, ‘but we want spending on Canadian content. It’s about reaching a balance in the system.’

The APFTQ also agrees with the CRTC’s proposal that a company such as Quebecor must air a minimum of 55% Canadian content across all its services — conventional and specialty channels — and a minimum of 35% per channel.

Unlike English Canada, Quebecers are deeply attached to their homegrown conventional television. According to a Leger Marketing survey conducted between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, 80% of Quebecers said it plays an important role in preserving and spreading the province’s culture, and 76% said public authorities have a responsibility to protect Quebec’s television industry.

Roughly 71% of Quebecers consider it unfair that conventional television broadcasters do not have access to fees for carriage and think the fees should be divided equally between over-the-air and specialty channels.