Broadcasting - Secretary General Letter addressed to Wendy Noss (Motion Picture Association - Canada)
Ottawa, 10 December 2024
Reference: 2024-288
Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0288
BY E-MAIL
Wendy Noss
President, the Motion Picture Association - Canada
20 Eglinton Ave West, Suite 1004
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1K8
mpa-canada@motionpictures.org
RE: Request for Extension - Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-288 – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector
Dear Wendy Noss,
Thank you for your letter dated 27 November 2024 filed on behalf of the Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA-Canada) and its members regarding Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2024-288 - The Path Forward - Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audiovisual sector (NoC 2024-288).
You asked the Commission to extend the deadlines to file interventions from 20 January 2025 to 20 February 2025. You asked that this extension be granted not only for you and your members but also for anyone who may participate in this proceeding. You cited the scope of the process, its importance and the significant effort needed to prepare your interventions as reasons for your request. You also stated concern for a short comment period that spans over the winter holiday season and how all these concerns could cause prejudice against the full participation of the MPA-Canada and its members in this proceeding.
The Commission has taken into account the reasons that you raised in your request and the importance of the proceeding announced in NoC 2024-288. It also acknowledges that the MPA-Canada represents several members it wishes to consult.
The Commission indicated in NoC 2024-288 that efficiency, balance and fair participation are necessary for the implementation of all the policy determinations. The Commission also specified that it did not intend to grant any requests for extensions of time to provide comments except in truly exceptional circumstances supported by sufficient evidence.
The Commission is satisfied that the procedure set out in NoC 2024-228 strikes the right balance between moving quickly and ensuring fair participation by all interested parties. When it set the timeline for providing initial comments, the Commission considered the holiday period as well as the scope and importance of the topics within the consultation. It also included several phases throughout the consultation, including an in-person public hearing and a final submissions phase. These steps will provide parties, including the MPA-Canada and its members, with several opportunities to fully present their views, comment on the views of others, and ensure that the resulting public record is robust and complete.
In view of the need to advance matters efficiently to implement a modernized broadcasting framework and based on the evidence, the Commission finds that truly exceptional circumstances are not present in this case to justify an extension to the timelines set out in NoC 2024-288.
Based on the above, the Commission denies your request for an extension.
If you have any questions, you can contact Scott Shortliffe, Vice-President of Broadcasting, at scott.shortliffe@crtc.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Marc Morin
Secretary General
Cc: The MPA-Canada, hafeez_rupani@motionpictures.org
Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, execdir@frpc.net
Public Interest Advocacy Centre, piac@piac.ca
Marc Nanni, mn_crtc@proton.me
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