OTTAWA, January 29, 2020—The CMPA welcomed today’s report from the government-appointed Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review (BTLR) panel, which included recommendations that will reinforce Canada’s media production sector and drive the creation of high-quality Canadian content for the streaming era.

“First and foremost, we thank the panel for their hard work and applaud their recommendation that the CRTC implement terms of trade between independent producers and both broadcasters and global streaming services so Canadian producers can retain the commercial rights in the programs they create and produce,” said CMPA President and CEO Reynolds Mastin. “We share in both the panel and federal government’s vision for a new, forward-looking system that ensures the continued ability for producers to bring Canadian stories to audiences both at home and around the world.”

Among the other proposals contained in the report, the CMPA identified the following recommendations as particularly important to building a strong Canadian production sector, in an increasingly borderless media environment:

• Mechanisms to ensure global streaming services are required to contribute to the production and discoverability of Canadian content;
• Measures that promote a robust independent production community, ensuring a diversity of voices in the production of Canadian programming;
• And a call for the federal government to act quickly to implement changes, underscoring the urgent need to adapt for the digital age.

The Chair of the BTLR expert panel, Janet Yale and panel member, Monique Simard will discuss their recommendations in detail tomorrow at the CMPA’s Prime Time conference. The conference will also feature an opening keynote conversation with Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault.