Broadcasting - Commission Letter adressed to John Lawford (Council to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation)
Ottawa, 20 October 2021
Our reference: 1011-NOC2021-0281
John Lawford
Council to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation
piac@piac.ca
RE: Application 2021-0228-4 – Application by Rogers Communications Inc. (Rogers), on behalf of Shaw Communications Inc. (Shaw), for Rogers to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Shaw
John Lawford,
This letter is in response to a procedural request filed on 24 September 2021 by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation (PIAC-NPF). This procedural request raised concerns over a reply submitted by the Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. (CPAC) on 23 September 2021 that expressed opinions on certain interventions filed in the context of Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2021-281.
In their request, PIAC-NPF argued that, pursuant to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Rules of Procedure), only applicants in a proceeding may file a reply to interventions. PIAC-NPF therefore requested that the Commission strike CPAC’s reply to interveners from the record of this proceeding.
On 13 September 2021, CPAC submitted a procedural request to be authorized to appear in its own right. In Commission Letter addressed to Colette Watson (Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc.), dated 7 October 2021, the Commission authorized CPAC to participate as an interested party to the proceeding and granted CPAC the following rights:
- the right to appear at the hearing in its own right;
- the right to file a reply to interveners in accordance with section 27 of the Rules of Procedure. Given that the reply period provided for in section 27 has already finished, the Commission grants to CPAC an additional 10 days, from the date of this decision, to file a reply with the Commission; and
- in the event that in camera discussions are held with respect to the governance of CPAC, the right for CPAC and its representatives to participate in such in camera discussions.
Once the Commission issued the Commission Letter addressed to Colette Watson (Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc.) granting CPAC the right to participate in the proceeding as an interested party, PIAC-NPF’s procedural request was rendered moot.
In light of the above, the Commission denies the procedural request by PIAC-NPF for the Commission to strike CPAC’s reply from the record of this proceeding.
Sincerely,
Claude Doucet
Secretary General
- Date modified: