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Broadcasting Notice of Proceeding CRTC 2019-217

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Ottawa, 20 June 2019

Co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy

The Commission hereby launches a proceeding to review its policy on Indigenous broadcasting.

Introduction

  1. Indigenous peoples hold a special place within Canadian society. They represent resilient and diverse groups of people with rich cultures, languages and traditions.
  2. The Government of Canada is committed to renewing the relationship with Indigenous peoples, based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. Engagement and consultation in the development of policies that may impact Indigenous peoples are integral components of the reconciliation agenda.
  3. This commitment is outlined in the Principles respecting the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples (the Principles), which recognize the government’s active role and responsibility in ensuring the cultural survival of Indigenous peoples as well as in protecting Aboriginal and treaty rights. The Principles call for continued collaboration with Indigenous peoples on changes to federal laws, regulations and policies to realize the unfulfilled constitutional promise of s.35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
  4. In its role as an independent public authority in charge of regulating and supervising the Canadian broadcasting system, the Commission performs a wide range of functions, including rule-making and policy development. As part of its role, the Commission upholds the Government of Canada’s commitment to engage with Indigenous peoples towards reconciliation.
  5. The Broadcasting Act recognizes that the broadcasting system has an important role to play in reflecting and supporting the special place that Indigenous peoples occupy in Canadian society and ensuring that it provides programming that reflects Indigenous cultures.Footnote 1
  6. The Commission’s current policy on Indigenous broadcasting was introduced nearly three decades ago.Footnote 2 Since then, the broadcasting environment in Canada has experienced significant changes.
  7. The emergence of digital media and online platforms have created new opportunities for the creation and distribution of content. Traditional platforms such as radio and television continue to play an important role in society.
  8. To modernize the existing regulatory framework so that the Canadian broadcasting system can adequately support the special needs of Indigenous peoples, now and in the future, the Commission hereby launches a proceeding to co-develop a new framework for Indigenous broadcasting in Canada with Indigenous peoples.

Procedure

  1. In consideration of the above, the Commission is adopting a new procedure tailored to the special nature of this proceeding. The Commission intends to base this procedure on a phased approach to maximize Indigenous peoples’ opportunities to shape the public participation process and make their views known to the Commission.
  2. Accordingly, pursuant to section 7 of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Rules), the Commission is varying the Rules for this proceeding, as follows:

    The proceeding will include three phases:

    • Phase One – Early engagement sessions
    • Phase Two – Public consultation
    • Phase Three – Preliminary conclusions and determinations

Phase One

  1. The Commission will ask Indigenous broadcasters, content creators and artists within the Indigenous broadcasting creative community in Canada to participate in engagement sessions across Canada.
  2. The Commission will gather different perspectives and experiences from Indigenous peoples within the Canadian broadcasting system through the engagement sessions to establish the conduct and scope of the public consultation process leading to the development of the policy. More specifically, these sessions will help to identify the needs of Indigenous peoples within the Canadian broadcasting system and determine the specific issues to be addressed in the new policy.

Phase Two

  1. The engagement sessions will be followed by a public consultation process. The design of this process and of the specific policy questions will be determined based mainly on the information gathered in Phase One. Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada will have an opportunity to participate in the public consultation. Further details concerning this phase will be provided in a notice of consultation to be published at a later date.

Phase Three

  1. Following the public consultation, the Commission will present preliminary conclusions and policy determinations from that consultation process to Indigenous participants to give them the opportunity to provide further comments on the potential impacts of the proposed policy.

Important notice

  1. The information that parties provide to the Commission during this proceeding (including the issues discussed during the engagement sessions) will become part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website.

How to participate in Phase One

  1. The Commission encourages interested persons to monitor the Commission’s website for additional information that they may find useful for this proceeding.
  2. The Commission invites Indigenous broadcasters, content creators and artists within the Indigenous broadcasting creative community in Canada that wish to participate in Phase One to contact The Indigenous Leadership Development Institute Inc. using only one of the following means:

    by telephone:
    1-204-940-1700 / Toll free: 1-855-940-1700

    by e-mail:
    info@ildii.ca

    by mail:
    The Indigenous Leadership Development Institute Inc.
    206 – 1075 Portage Avenue
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    R3G 0R8

    By fax:
    1-204-940-1719

Secretary General

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