It turns out the importance of Canadian creators in the definition of Canadian content is one of the few things industry stakeholders can agree on, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
The Commission published its What We Heard report on the definition of Cancon in late September, which summarizes the response from 382 participants in seventeen workshops held by research firm Ipsos in February and March this year.
The groups represented a “broad range of participants within the audiovisual industry,” said the report.
In the summary, the Commission concluded that retaining Canadians in key creative positions in the definition was one of the few generally agreed upon points among participants. Others included the idea that the entire system needs to be modernized, not just the Cancon definition, and that a new definition should serve to bring new investments into the system – though the CRTC said opinions differed on how it would be achieved.
The current definition used by the CRTC is a point system meant to identify if a production commissioned by a broadcaster meets the minimum requirement of a Canadian program.
Points are determined by the inclusion of Canadians in key roles, such as director, writer, first and second lead actors, as well as key production roles. The maximum number of points is 10, with the minimum number of points currently set at six. The definition also requires that a Canadian producer retains creative and financial control of a production.
Some of the key focuses raised during the workshops included the importance of creating a Canadian star system, similar to Quebec’s local star system; making Cancon globally competitive; a more transparent and accountable system; ensuring high quality content is “made by Canadians”; supporting the financial viability of players within the industry; and ensuring broadcasters and streamers pay their fair share.
The report said discussions on making the definition more flexible were “emotionally charged.” Creators and producers argued that any flexibility would dilute the process and benefit foreign-owned streamers at the expense of the domestic sector. However, other participants argued that there should be more elements added to the current point system, while incentivizing the use of Canadians in key creative positions.
Producers, broadcasters and creators also argued that IP ownership is fundamental to the definition so that Canadian companies and creators can “fully reap the economic benefits of their work.” However, streamers argued that IP ownership is a core aspect of their business model. Alternative possibilities points raised during the discussions included shared IP rights, imposing time limits on rights or making IP ownership part of the points system, rather than a separate requirement.
The report said many participants argued introducing cultural or diversity requirements would create more complications to the existing system and potentially stifle creativity or impact the importance of French-language content in the definition. In its conclusion, the CRTC said the notion was raised that “the definition might not necessarily be the right tool to support diversity content and creators.”
The Commission’s What We Heard report is part of its multi-year plan to modernize its regulatory framework for the domestic broadcasting system. An open consultation on the definition of Canadian content is scheduled for spring 2025, with public hearings to follow.
The full report is on the CRTC website.
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