How will Canadian film and TV change if streamers don't pay into it?

For the past two weeks, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) held hearings to expand their definition of Canadian content. The CRTC also discussed how digital streamers in the country, such as Netflix and Disney+, should contribute a percentage of their Canadian revenue toward a Canadian content fund — something every other national broadcaster does.
But the streamers don't want to pay. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud speaks with storyteller Jesse Wente, policy expert Vass Bednar, and showrunner Anthony Q. Farrell about what this lack of investment means for the future of Canadian content.
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.
WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube:
Elamin: If we look at the current rules, large English language broadcasters have to contribute 30 per cent of their revenue — it's a pretty significant chunk — back into Canadian broadcasting programming. Last year, the CRTC ordered that streaming services, like Netflix, like Disney, like Amazon, have to pay five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues to a fund to make Canadian content right here. So it's definitely not an even playing field by any stretch.
To give people an example to wrap your head around it: you go to Disney+, the broadcaster. They carry Shōgun, right? Shōgun wins a historic amount of Emmys. That show is shot in this country, it's shot here in Canada. The streamer position, if I understand it correctly, is saying, "We'll invest in your industry on our own terms." Which is to say, "We'll shoot our shows here, but we won't necessarily make a show that is specifically Canadian," or that that money will necessarily have to stay in Canada. Vass, what's on the line if they don't pay an equal share?
Vass: Higher barriers to entry for artists and creators, little to no investment in the next generation of content creators, a loss of voices and diversity and perspectives and richness. It's not just not paying into the system — it's also about control.
I think [the hearing] is about being assertive and recognizing that there's a role for the state to make these markets more free and fair and tailor them in a way that works for Canada and is aligned with our values and what we care about for future generations.
That's why I also come back to the element of control, and our algorithmic sovereignty in our everyday lives. I can't program my discoverability. I can't say on Netflix or on YouTube, "I'd like to see a certain proportion of Canadian content" or "Show me more films made by women." You're always dependent on their categorizations and what they're surfacing. So it really is about us versus digital forces and a data-driven context, where we're losing power — not just as Canadians, but we're losing power as consumers, too. In terms of our ability to choose what we enjoy, and what we support with our time and attention and our money, that's at risk too.
Elamin: Anthony, the streamers already have so much power here. What does their stance in this position tell you right now?
Anthony: Pardon the cuss, but that's malarky. The streamers are not here in Canada because they want to make Canada a better place. They're here because we're convenient. They're here because we're good at what we do. They're here because we are right beside America, who is the biggest exporter of content. We understand them. We can make shows similar to them. We can do a lot of those things for less of a price tag, right? They're here because we're good for them.
So for them to say, "We're already putting money into the system"— yeah, you're doing that because it's helpful to you. What you should be doing, is you've got to play like everyone else. I have Disney+, I have Netflix, and as a TV writer, I also have cable. So my Rogers subscription, my money goes back into the system. My Netflix subscription, no money goes back into the system. And if people are cutting Canadian cable and just going to American streamers, how are we going to protect Canadian artists, to make future shows? And [the streamers] are saying, "We're giving all the key grips, and we're giving all the service production people money." Cool, but how are we going to be able to make more Canadian content, unless we're actually filling back up those coffers, right? So what [the CRTC] are asking for is not a lot, considering that they were suggesting five per cent, where other Canadian broadcasters are having to give 30. That's not a lot. You're already making money. It's not like we're taking money you don't have. It's based on your revenue.
I think I understand the fight, because these big corporations are always going to be trying to figure out ways to keep their profits as high as possible… But I hope the CRTC is seeing all this, and we'll get a ruling in the next year or so, and we'll be able to build our business back up. Because it has been a struggle with the Canadian industry, over the last few years especially. So it'll be good to be able to get people working.
Elamin: Right now, a show or a movie qualifies as CanCon based on who makes it and where it's made. That's interesting to me, because we're sitting a couple days after The Apprentice, the Donald Trump movie, won best picture at the Canadian Screen Awards. Famously, Donald Trump is not Canadian, and very few of the cast are…. That movie was made in conjunction with a Canadian production company, so it becomes a Canadian picture.
One of the suggestions floated [at the hearing] was that to qualify as CanCon, a show would have to look and feel distinctly Canadian. I don't know what that means. Jesse, what are the pros and cons of expanding the definition to consider the Canadianness of a story here?
Jesse: To understand Canadianness, I, like you, would struggle to understand what exactly that is. Beyond Anne of Green Gables as the most persistent Canadian storytelling, I don't know what else that would be, other than, I flash back to Score: A Hockey Musical.
My approach to this has always been: I care much less about the what is being made and the storytelling, and I care much more about the who. For years, I've been advocating for Indigenous people to have space. And it wasn't so that they could tell a specific story, that wasn't the point. Because I don't know what stories Indigenous storytellers are going to want to tell, and I want them to have freedom. This is the point: the freedom to tell, whatever that looks like for them.
The way the [CanCon] point system has worked — and this is true in music too — they would classify above the line talent. And what that means, is the folks who make the creative decisions: basically the producer, the writer, the songwriter, the artist. It matters less where it's made — although in music, it does very much matter where it was recorded — but it doesn't so much matter for that on film and TV. So we've famously made American movies, like X-Men movies and all of this stuff, in Canada for decades and decades.
I think this always gets back to: what do Canadians want? Because the choice point is, ultimately, you could just become a service sector for America, which is what they do with China when it comes to their manufacturing. They outsource all the making of the thing to a different country, but all the money returns to America. And we already have a significant amount of the sector that already does that. We call it "service productions to the U.S." But what you don't necessarily get out of that is our own stories, and that's ultimately what we're asking for.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Globe and Mail

21 minutes ago

• Globe and Mail

Carney calls for diplomatic solution and for talks to resume after U.S. strikes Iran

Prime Minister Mark Carney called for diplomatic talks to resume immediately and a de-escalation of hostilities, after the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear sites in a major military operation. U.S. military officials say they are not pursuing war with Iran after striking key nuclear sites While noting 'the grave threat' posed by Tehran's nuclear program, Mr. Carney warned that 'the situation in the Middle East remains highly volatile.' 'Stability in the region is a priority,' he said in a post on X. 'Canada calls on parties to return immediately to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end the crisis.' At a press conference on Sunday, Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said its attack on Iranian nuclear facilities was the largest B2 stealth bomber strike in history, and met with no Iranian resistance. But Lt. Gen. Caine warned: 'Our forces remain on high alert, and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks which would be an incredibly poor choice. We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority.' Mr. Carney referred in his post to an agreement made at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., that 'the resolution of the Iranian crisis should lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.' But he said that Canada has consistently been clear that 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.' Foreign Minister Anita Anand added that Canada has been consistent that Iran 'must not possess nuclear weapons as they are a threat to international security.' 'Canada continues to support all efforts aimed at de-escalation, protecting civilian lives, and restoring stability through diplomacy,' she posted on X. 'We urge parties to return to the negotiating table and reach a resolution to this crisis.' She urged Canadians in the region to register with Global Affairs to receive available travel options to leave. Canada is booking seats on commercial flights from countries neighbouring Iran and Israel for Canadians wanting to fly home. She said, with the Prime Minister, she is 'regularly briefed on new developments, and are ensuring that all necessary resources are available in support of Canada's work to protect our citizens.'

CTV News

41 minutes ago

• CTV News

Completion date for Walker Road-Tecumseh Road construction project delayed again

The completion date for a construction project around Tecumseh Road East and Walker Road in Windsor is being pushed back again. The Tecumseh Road East infrastructure renewal project was scheduled to be completed by July but is now scheduled for completion in August due to additional work that's been identified. An ENWIN spokesperson tells AM800 News that while performing road restoration work, it was identified that additional repairs are required in order to ensure the long-term durability of the roadway. This work is being completed now, while traffic controls are already in place, to help avoid future disruptions and is anticipated to reduce the need for further major maintenance or construction in the coming years. Traffic on the west side of Walker Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction, controlled by traffic signals in late June. No left turns will be permitted at the Tecumseh/Walker intersection during this time. Ward 4 Councillor Mark McKenzie calls this latest delay ridiculous, given it was supposed to be done in Fall 2024. 'We heard back in March; they said it would be eight to 12 weeks, which would put it at the end of May. The end of May has come and gone. We were told it would be maybe the beginning or mid-July; now we're hearing it's going to be August,' he said. The current work is the continuation of a project that started in May 2024, and it includes a new 1,200-meter-long concrete water main, along with road paving and surface restoration. Along with the intersection, the work has impacted several surrounding roads, including Memorial Drive, Turner Road, Factoria Road, Milloy Street and Chandler Road, all near the Met Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital. McKenzie says he's hearing from residents every day about this project. 'You have people who are speeding up and down these residential streets now trying to avoid the delays that you're seeing on Walker Road and Tecumseh Road because of this never-ending construction project,' he said. McKenzie says he doesn't understand why this project is taking so long. 'Something needs to be done here; there need to be timelines that are set in these contracts. If these contractors can't hit these timelines, these deadlines, then they should be penalized for it. You see that in other municipalities and in the states as well,' he said. - By Rusty Thomson/AM800 News

CBC

an hour ago

• CBC

Sask. celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day with dancing, march — and a new logo design for Roughriders

People across Saskatchewan celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday, hosting a range of gatherings at museums, cultural centres and public parks. National Indigenous Peoples Day has been observed nationally every June 21 since 1996 to celebrate and highlight the unique cultures, languages and traditions of Canada's Indigenous communities. Celebrations in Saskatchewan began on Friday, allowing schools to participate, with the City of Regina hosting an event in Victoria Park. Hundreds of people gathered for dancing performances, educational experiences and a grand entry of local Indigenous and community leaders. "It's really important to the people to know that we are valued within Regina and within Saskatchewan as Indigenous people, and that we are not an invisible minority," said Ashley Poorman-Rope, who attended the event. "It's important to know that we do exist and our culture does continue to thrive." Several local schools participated in the event, giving students the opportunity to engage with the cultural presentations and try dance lessons. "We're talking to the kids about why this was important and showing them," said Georgina Lee, who teaches grades 6 and 7 at Marion McVeety elementary school in Regina. "We have a lot of new immigrant families at our school and a lot of newcomers, so this is most of their first time doing this, having this experience." The gathering in Victoria Park was followed by events at Royal Saskatchewan Museum, which hosted special displays of Indigenous artifacts, organized beading activities and showcased a song by the Kawacatoose Boys' Singers and Dance Troupe. "It's such an important day to be celebrating," said Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross at the event, saying it's important "we celebrate and all learn and appreciate our culture in Saskatchewan." Celebrations also began Friday in Saskatoon, with several thousand people attending the Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation procession, which honoured residential school victims and survivors. Many attendees wore orange — the colour associated with reconciliation and remembrance of residential school survivors — to the event, which was accompanied with drumming, dancing and other performances. Shaylynn Naytowhow was one of the marchers. For her, the event demonstrated "reconciliation in action," and that Indigenous identity is worth celebrating. "I feel like I'm here for the children," she said. "The children from the past who are now no longer here, but also the children in the present, right now. They need to learn the importance of this, the importance of their identity." On Saturday, Wanuskewin Heritage Park outside Saskatoon hosted a day-long event with dancing, traditional games, and singing. In Regina, the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced a new Indigenous variation for their logo, adding new colours for the 2025 CFL season. It was designed by Chris Chipak of Red Pheasant Cree Nation. The logo is an updated version of the original Indigenous logo created by Chipak that was unveiled in September 2024, which was predominantly green. "I think Indigenous culture really embraces all of these bright and bold colours, and that was maybe one thing that was missing from the green version, which we love, but didn't have that real 'punch,'" said Mark Habicht, who runs the Roughrider's retail operations.