Canada: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission closes consultation on reviewing definition of Canadian program and expenditure requirements

On 20 January 2025, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) close the consultation on reviewing the definition of Canadian program and expenditure requirements (CRTC 2024-288), which had been open since 15 November 2024. The consultation covers the certification framework, including key creative positions, cultural elements, the role of showrunners, creative control, intellectual property rights, production-cost thresholds, time credits, foreign courtesy credits, and the possible discontinuation of certification for production packages, twinnings, pilot projects and adult programming. It covers expenditure requirements for Canadian programming, programs of national interest, news programming and Indigenous and French-language content, and addresses reporting and data-collection obligations under paragraph 9.1(1)(o) of the Broadcasting Act. It states that the proceeding includes a public hearing starting on 31 March 2025 in Gatineau, Quebec, and that submissions form part of the public record. It states that the CRTC will consider information from workshops conducted in February and March 2024 and forthcoming public opinion research.