Broadcasting - Staff Letter addressed to Various Parties
Gatineau, 15 May 2026
BY EMAIL
Marcia Douglas
Executive Director
Bell Fund
Suite 1710, 2 Carlton St
Toronto, ON, M5B 1J3
mdouglas@bellfund.ca
Joan Jenkinson
Executive Director
Black Screen Fund
25 John St., Suite 6C300
Toronto ON M5V 3G8
joan@bso-ben.ca
Lalita Krishna
Board Chair
Canadian Independent Screen Fund
1508 – 65 Harbour Square
Toronto ON M5J 2L4
insyncvideo@rogers.com
Serge Thibaudeau
President and CEO
Fonds Quebecor
1030 Rue Cherrier, Suite 503
Montreal, QC H2L 1H9
sthibaudeau@fondsquebecor.ca
Subject: Request for clarification concerning the Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2026-18
Thank you for your letter dated 25 March 2026 filed on behalf of the Certified Independent Production Funds (CIPFs) (listed above), and for outlining the CIPFs’ proposed approach regarding the application of the proposed Regulations Prescribing Canadian Programs and consequential amendments to existing regulations (the proposed regulations).
As noted in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2026-18, the proposed regulations would come into force on 1 September 2026, or on the day they are registered if registration occurs after
1 September 2026. The modernized certification framework would apply to all applications received by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) after this date. For applications received between the date of Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-299 (the Policy) and the date the proposed regulations come into force, the Commission will apply the certification framework currently in place, unless requested otherwise by the applicant, as explained at paragraph 186 of the Policy.
Once the new regulations are in force, any production seeking Canadian program certification directly from the CRTC must comply with the Canadian copyright ownership and the minimum percentage threshold, as well as any other relevant criteria, detailed in Appendix 1 of the Policy
Finally, the CIPFs may continue to rely on certifications issued by the Canadian Audio Visual Certification (CAVCO), Telefilm Canada, and the CRTC when determining whether a production meets the Canadian content requirements set out in the CIPF policy, set out in Policy Framework for Certified Independent Productions Funds, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-343, 25 August 2016. CIPFs will retain the discretion to fund productions of their choosing, based on their expertise and the success measured as outlined in paragraph 59 of Broadcasting regulatory policy 2016 343. However, as set out in the Policy, a production must achieve at least 60% of the total available points—or 80% depending on copyright ownership—to be recognized as a Canadian program. The Commission’s modernized Canadian content framework continues to recognize that a production can meaningfully contribute to the Canadian broadcasting system even when not all creative positions are filled by Canadians, provided that a substantial majority of key creative roles are Canadian.
Please note that this letter and any other related correspondence may be made public in a future process.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jean-Pierre Lefebvre Manager, at Jean-Pierre.Lefebvre@crtc.gc.ca
Sincerely,
(Original signed by)
Scott Shortliffe
Vice President, Broadcasting
CC: Jon Taylor, CEO, Independent Production Fund, jtaylor@ipf.ca
Leah Camenzind, Executive Director, Telus Fund, leah.camenzind@telusfund.ca
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