Departmental Plan 2024-2025 - Supplementary Information Tables
Operating context
As the global communications landscape continues to undergo rapid technological change and people’s activities are transformed by technology, Canadians will rely more and more on high-quality Internet and cellphone services in their daily lives. The CRTC will continue to focus on improving access to Internet and cellphone services and promoting competition and choice.
At the same time, the CRTC will continue to devote significant resources to implementing the amended Broadcasting Act and the Online News Act. In November 2023, the Government of Canada issued a Policy Direction setting out how the CRTC will implement amendments to the Broadcasting Act. It directs the CRTC to support Canadian creators and content, including redefining what constitutes a Canadian program, and to ensure meaningful participation and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, equity-deserving and ethnocultural groups as well as official language minority communities (OLMCs). The Government of Canada also made regulations to implement the Online News Act, which came into force in December 2023. The CRTC will consider the Policy Direction and regulations when implementing the two acts.
Canada’s broadcasting ecosystem is changing at a rapid pace. Recognizing this reality, the Policy Direction gives the CRTC two years to modernize Canada’s broadcasting regulatory framework. Making the necessary changes to the regulatory framework in the given timeline will require a significant amount of work, which is in addition to the CRTC’s regular business (such as the processing of Part 1 applications and policy reviews). Given the number of public proceedings that will be required to implement the amended Broadcasting Act and the Online News Act, the CRTC will need to be agile in all areas of its work, including its policy, operations and corporate sectors.
Gender-based analysis plus
Introduction
In 2018, Parliament passed the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act. The departmental plans and departmental results reports are being used to fulfill the President of the Treasury Board’s obligations to make public, every year, analysis on the impacts of expenditure programs on gender and diversity.
Each organization is responsible for conducting their own Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).
Applicability
All organizations must complete GBA Plus supplementary information tables in departmental plans and departmental results reports on an annual basis.
General information: Institutional GBA Plus capacity
Governance
The CRTC does not have a formal gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) implementation plan for 2024-25.
The CRTC has a GBA Plus champion. The CRTC will ensure that its staff have access to the evergreen CRTC GBA Plus Tool, which is designed to help ensure inclusion and diversity is first and foremost in their thinking.
Capacity
Given its small size of approximately 550 employees, the CRTC does not plan to assign dedicated full-time equivalents (FTEs) to GBA Plus implementation in 2024-25.
Nevertheless, GBA Plus is part of the CRTC’s decision-making processes. All regulatory policies and decisions are made via public proceedings that are open to all Canadians. The CRTC considers GBA Plus matters that are put on the public record of a proceeding by individuals and stakeholders.
In 2024-25, the CRTC will continue to strengthen and expand its engagement activities to encourage participation by Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups in its public proceedings, including accessibility groups and racialized communities. The CRTC will explore new ways to engage with Canadians taking full advantage of new technology and opportunities to visit communities across Canada.
As part of its engagement strategy, the CRTC will also establish a dedicated team to undertake engagement with Indigenous groups and communities. This team will be Indigenous led with predominantly Indigenous staff and will co-develop its approaches to engagement with Indigenous partners. This team will support Indigenous groups and individuals in CRTC processes and work to eliminate barriers to participation.
Highlights of GBA Plus results reporting by program
Support for Canadian content creation
The CRTC currently collects data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity.
In 2024-25, the CRTC will continue to collect annual data on the progress of Canada’s largest broadcasters towards achieving gender parity for their in-house and commissioned productions.
The CRTC will also explore possible opportunities to collaborate with other agencies, such as the Canada Media Fund (CMF). The CMF has developed Persona-ID, a self-identification system to ensure efficient collection of data regarding diverse content creators.
As the CRTC continues to implement the amended Broadcasting Act in 2024-25, engagement with Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups will be central to ensure that diverse views are considered when making its decisions. The CRTC will also develop rules to support and promote the creation of accessible content that is reflective of Canada’s diversity.
In 2024-25, the CRTC will also pursue its co-development of the Indigenous Broadcasting Policy to support the creation, presentation and discoverability of First Nations, Métis and Inuit content throughout the broadcasting system.
Connection to the communications system
The CRTC currently collects data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity.
As part of its review of the Broadband Fund Policy, the CRTC will ensure meaningful engagement with people in urban and rural areas of Canada and with Indigenous Peoples. The review includes considering an Indigenous-specific funding stream.
The CRTC expects to conclude the proceeding to review the regulatory framework for video relay service (VRS) in Canada to ensure the service meets the needs of Canadians whose first language is sign language.
The CRTC is also active on an Accessibility Data and Measurement Strategy DG Steering Committee and Working Group led by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
Protection within the communications system
The CRTC currently collects data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity.
The CRTC will continue its Secret Shoppers Program to identify misleading or aggressive sales practices by Canada’s large telecommunications carriers. The data from the program will allow the CRTC to ensure that the market is not subjecting Canadian seniors, persons with disabilities and persons whose first language is neither English nor French to barriers that prevent them from fully benefitting from the communications networks. The data will also continue to inform future Commission regulatory activities.
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