Departmental Plan 2025-2026 - Supplementary Information Tables
Operating context
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) operating context is the global communications landscape, which continues to undergo rapid technological change. People’s everyday activities are being transformed by technology, including the creation and consumption of audio and audiovisual content. Given this reality, Canadians will need continued access to reliable, affordable and high-quality communications services.
The CRTC plays an important role as the regulator for Canada’s communications sector.
In 2023, the government directed the CRTC to renew its approach to telecommunications policy. Building on recent major decisions, the CRTC will continue to work to promote competition, affordability, consumer rights and innovation.
As the CRTC works to help improve the affordability and quality of Internet and cellphone services in Canada, we will also continue to make progress towards helping ensure that Canadians have access to these services. The CRTC plays an important role as part of a larger government effort to bring affordable and high-quality telecommunications services to all Canadians.
At the same time, the CRTC will continue to move quickly and consult widely to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework. The changes needed for a modernized framework are substantial, complex and interconnected. Among other things, we will continue to move forward with consultations on the definition of Canadian and Indigenous content and the market dynamics between small, medium and large broadcasters, television service providers and online streaming services.
The CRTC will also continue to implement the Online News Act, including by supervising the bargaining framework, finalizing a code of conduct, and monitoring whether additional platforms are subject to the legislation.
The CRTC will continue to move quickly and transparently, given the impact our decisions have on consumers, businesses and the Canadian economy.
We will continue to listen and engage with Canadians. And we will continue to review our internal processes to be even more efficient and timely. We have made important progress, and we will continue to improve to better serve Canadians.
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 department 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.
Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity
Governance
GBA Plus is part of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision-making processes. All regulatory policies and decisions are based on the public record that is built from public proceedings that are open to all Canadians. The CRTC takes into account GBA Plus matters that are put on the public record of a proceeding by individuals and stakeholders.
The CRTC has a GBA Plus champion as well as one full-time equivalent (FTE) dedicated to working on GBA Plus. The CRTC will continue to 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
In 2025-26, the CRTC will continue to strengthen and expand its engagement activities. It will explore new ways to engage with Canadians, taking full advantage of new technology and opportunities to visit and engage with communities across Canada.
As part of its engagement strategy, in 2024, the CRTC established an Indigenous Relations Team (IRT). The IRT is Indigenous led with predominantly Indigenous staff. The team works to improve the way the CRTC develops policy and engages with Indigenous peoples by supporting Indigenous participation in CRTC proceedings and ensuring the distinct nature and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples are considered across the CRTC’s work. In 2025-26, the IRT will continue to focus on building a network of Indigenous communities, organizations, individuals and industry partners and on establishing external and internal groups to support ongoing dialogue and bring visibility to Indigenous concerns.
In 2025-26, the CRTC will also establish a dedicated team to support engagement with official language minority community (OLMC) groups and help make sure that they are consulted in decisions that may affect them.
The CRTC will also continue to improve the accessibility of its public consultation processes by removing barriers to participation and enabling the participation of persons with disabilities in the policy-making process.
The CRTC will also establish a corporate contract to improve access to sign language services within the organization. The contract will gradually expand into a long-term, centrally funded contract available to all CRTC sectors. This will make CRTC content accessible to more Canadians.
Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus
One FTE is dedicated to working on GBA Plus at the CRTC.
Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program
Core responsibility: Regulate and supervise the communications system
Program name: Support for Canadian content creation
Program goals: This program aims to ensure that Canadians have access to compelling creative content from diverse sources and on a variety of platforms, and that this content reflects Canada’s diversity and enables Canadians to participate in their country’s democratic and cultural life.
Program name: Connection to the communications system
Program goals: This program aims to ensure that Canadians have access to reliable, affordable and high-quality communications services.
Program name: Protection within the communications system
Program goals: This program aims to enhance the safety and interests of Canadians by promoting compliance with and enforcement of its regulations, including those relating to unsolicited communications.
GBA Plus data collection plan
Support for Canadian content creation
The CRTC currently collects sufficient data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity. A public opinion research tracking study provides disaggregated GBA Plus data on the perception of the Canadian broadcasting system.
In 2025-26, 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 continue to collect annual data on programming produced by Indigenous peoples and OLMCs.
The CRTC will 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 2025-26, engagement with Indigenous peoples, OLMC groups and equity-deserving groups will be central to help 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.
Connection to the communications system
The CRTC currently collects sufficient data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity. A public opinion research tracking study provides disaggregated GBA Plus data on the perception of the Canadian telecommunications system.
As part of its review of the Broadband Fund Policy, the CRTC will help ensure meaningful engagement with rural, remote and Indigenous communities across Canada, including by launching a separate process to create an Indigenous stream of the Broadband Fund.
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 an active member of the Accessibility Data and Measurement Strategy Director General Steering Committee and Working Group led by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
Protection within the communications system
The CRTC currently collects sufficient data to enable it to monitor and report program impacts by gender and diversity, including public opinion research that is disaggregated for GBA Plus.
In 2025-26, 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 help 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 CRTC regulatory activities.
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