The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has unveiled the first of its research initiatives on the definition of Canadian content, with producers and creators approaching the topic with apprehension and optimism.

Catalina Briceno of research group La Société des demains, which led the research, presented preliminary insights from the first phase of the initiative in the lead-up to the Banff World Media Festival’s (BANFF) opening panel on Sunday (June 11), titled Defining Canadian Content: The Future of the Industry and moderated by CMF president and CEO Valerie Creighton.

The findings came from online surveys and in-person “in-depth ethnographic interviews,” with the participation of more than 2,500 Canadians from both within the domestic screen industry and the general public, according to a news release issued by CMF.

The ethnographic interviews were conducted by consultants Humain Humain and targeted Canadian creators, producers, broadcasters, distributors and funders. The online survey was targeted to both the general public and industry members.

There was consensus between the industry and the public on “core objectives,” such as ensuring streaming platforms invest in Canadian content, and that domestic companies and workers maintain economic stability. The groups also agreed on the importance of the use of Canadian content on and off the screen in order to “increase industrial competitiveness” and showcase Canadian diversity and culture.

CMF said participants from the industry “consistently” said IP ownership was a “critical element” for the industry, and “tended to agree” on the notion that the definition of Canadian content is tied to ownership rights and the use of domestic writers and employees.

Participants from the general public said they agreed that geographic elements “make Canadian content distinct” and the “most important objective” in redefining domestic content is “instilling a sense of national pride and social cohesion.”

“I hope that on the other side of whatever these changes are, we have a system that can reward the decision-makers that are trying to push the envelope in terms of the quality, diversity, perspective and scope of story that we’re offering here in Canada,” said Sasha Leigh Henry, creator and showrunner of Bria Mack Gets a Life, following the preliminary data presentation.

Christina Jennings, chairman and president of Toronto-based Shaftesbury, said she’s concerned about provisions in Bill C-11 that may create a two-tier system where Canadian broadcasters and foreign streamers are held to different standards for using Canadian talent.

“I’m worried that we’ve put something in language that might come [back] to bite us. And what’s going to happen if that lowered standard is to apply not just to the foreign guys, but to Canadian companies? That’s going to mean fewer jobs for our creators, actors, directors, writers and us producers,” she said.

Philippe Lamarre, president of Montreal-based media company Urbania, shared concerns about the future of Quebec content, noting that younger audiences – giving the example of his teenage children – are heavier consumers of U.S. entertainment.

“Their Quebec cultural references are very, very tiny, and that scares me,” he said. “The minute they could hold a tablet or a phone they could pick what they want to watch, and there was no way for me to decide or influence them.”

Tom Hastings, Paramount+ Canada’s head of original programming, said “the desire is to work on Canadian stories,” at the streamer, but “there needs to be flexibility on the types of relationships on IP and ownership.”

Stacey Aglok MacDonald, co-founder of Iqaluit prodco Red Marrow Media, said the current definition of Canadian content is limiting for Inuit producers in terms of having to work within colonial borders, as the Inuit nation is spread across Canada, Greenland, Denmark, the U.S., and more. The company is currently preparing to go into production on an Iqaluit-based comedy co-commissioned by CBC, APTN and Netflix.

“We have to cast Canadian, but we’re omitting huge populations of other Inuit,” she said. “We have the same language and the same culture… but we can’t cast them because they’re not Canadian,” she said.

Henry pointed to a focus on quality to remain competitive on the international stage. “I really hope with all of the chaos and all of the uncertainty… we can lean into the chaos, lean into the fact that we don’t have any guaranteed answers and double down with more risk and more strange and more ‘weird,'” she said.

Preliminary consultations on the definition of Canadian content at the CRTC are expected to begin this fall, according to the Commission’s phased consultation timeline for modernizing the Broadcasting Act, with the full consultations to take place in winter 2023-24. Jennings urged the industry to “let our voices be known” to the CRTC.

“As nervous as we all are to be here, it’s a privilege to be in a historical moment,” said Hastings.

A co-creation phase, also conducted by La Société des demains, is underway this month, which involves virtual and in-person “foresight workshops.” A What You Said final report, which will contain data from all phases of the research initiative, is scheduled for publication in the fall.

Photo by Kristian Bogner Photography; Pictured (L-R): Philippe Lamarre, Sasha Leigh Henry, Christina Jennings, Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Tom Hastings, Valerie Creighton