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Speech


Opening remarks

by Louise Poirier

National Commissioner
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

 

to the Conference of the Réseau francophone des régulateurs des médias (REFRAM)

Fès, Morocco

November 29, 2010

(Check against delivery)

Thank you for your kind introduction.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

I am very happy to be with you at the REFRAM Conference (Réseau francophone des régulateurs de médias). The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission— the CRTC—joined the network early this year, and is participating in the Conference for the second time. Last year, my colleague, Namir Anani, Executive Director of Policy Development and Research, took part in the discussions. I am pleased to follow in his footsteps today in the context of the Conference’s first working session, dealing with managing pluralism in the audiovisual media under normal circumstances.

I would like to first of all describe the context and characteristics of the Canadian broadcasting system, and then address the issues of pluralism under normal circumstances, people’s access to the broadcasting system, the transition to digital television and the structural changes affecting our industry.

Canadian context

The CRTC, as we know it today, is an independent agency that was created in 1968. The Commission oversees and regulates Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications in order to meet the needs and interests of Canadians, the industry and the Government of Canada.

For those of you who don’t know Canada, allow me to provide you with a brief description:

  • Founded in 1867, Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, in terms of geographic size, totalling nearly 10 million km2.
  • Despite this imposing size, our population is relatively small, just under 34 million inhabitants—of which 10 million are francophone—and includes numerous ethnic groups who have been here for one, two or even more generations,  and over one million Aboriginals.
  • Approximately 80% of Canadians live less than 160 km from the American border, and occupy a territory punctuated by breathtaking geography.
  • English and French are the country’s two official languages.

Although Canada’s francophones are mainly concentrated in Quebec, more than a million are found throughout the provinces and territories. This situation creates numerous challenges. The CRTC ensures that francophones outside Quebec have access to broadcasting services in French by imposing conditions on television distributors when their licences are renewed or granted.

Characteristics of the Canadian broadcasting system

And now we come to the broadcasting sector. It is made up of three fundamental components, each with a distinct role to play:

  • Private broadcasters include over-the-air broadcasting and specialty services. These broadcasters today represent 96 private over-the-air television stations; 153 specialty channels; and 736 radio stations. They must comply with certain requirements, notably with regard to Canadian content and local programming. These broadcasters constitute the main sources of programming in national, provincial and local news. Several of them provide their programming on their websites and in wireless format for smart phones.
  • The mandate of our national public broadcaster, the CBC/Societé Radio-Canada, was established by the Canadian government in the 1991 Broadcasting Act. The corporation is financed through three sources: 60% from the government; 20% from advertising; and 20% from other revenues. This broadcaster plays a key role in the production of a wide range of radio, television and Internet services. Some provinces have also created educational public broadcasters.
  • Community broadcasters include more than 140 community and campus radio stations and more than 110 community television stations. A few months ago, the CRTC introduced new policies to ensure that these stations can continue covering local information, broadcasting the works of new Canadian artists, and providing volunteers with an opportunity to participate in all spheres of their activities. 

As I already mentioned, Canada is home to a multitude of ethnic and Aboriginal groups, and our broadcasting system reflects that diversity. The CRTC believes that the services intended for these groups are essential for meeting their needs and interests. Here are three examples of broadcasting services that demonstrate our commitment to Canada’s various cultural groups.

  • Canada’s Aboriginals manage 5 television stations and 45 radio stations, some of which are exempt from CRTC regulations. The most important television service is undoubtedly APTN (the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), which in 1999 became the first national Aboriginal television service in the world.
  • And today, Canadians from other cultures have access to 46 radio services and 36 television services in languages other than French or English.
  • Lastly, there are currently 192 non-Canadian services approved for distribution in Canada, including Paris-Première and Planète Thalassa, to name just two.

Internationally, Canada has been an active participant in the TV5 network since 1988. This network reaches 207 million households around the world, including in Morocco. Canadian francophone broadcasters offer exciting and dynamic programming aimed at extending the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of the Canadian and global Francophonie.  

Managing pluralism under normal circumstances

As you have seen, Canadians enjoy a wide range of programs that contribute to the diversity of voices. I would like to discuss the integrity of voices in normal times, which is one of the values that define the Canadian democratic system.

The CRTC aims to ensure that media coverage is consistent with the principles of freedom of speech and the public’s right to accurate, complete and fair information. For example, a Code of Journalistic Ethics was put in place by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council – the CBSC. This independent non-profit agency has approximately 730 member stations – including specialty services and private television and radio networks that broadcast programming in French, English and other languages. When Canadians have complaints, they can turn to the CBSC directly. 

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has established its own Journalistic Standards and Practices and created a citizens’ protector – or ombudsman – who reviews complaints received from the public. Complaints may also be directed to the CRTC, which studies them and then publishes a decision.

In addition, Canadians have access to parliamentary activities and debates through a private bilingual broadcasting service—the Cable Public Affairs Channel, or CPAC—which was put in place to maintain an independent editorial voice to serve the Canadian democratic process. This channel, which is devoted entirely to national public affairs, was developed and implemented by the cable industry in 1992. The cable carriers also finance the service. Today, CPAC’s programs are available to more than 10 million Canadian households through cable, satellite and wireless communications, as well as on the Web.

Access to the broadcasting system

Issues of access are at the heart of the CRTC’s concerns. At a time when communication technologies are consuming an ever-increasing part of our daily lives, the CRTC believes that basic knowledge of digital tools is essential. You may well start your day the same way I do: by turning on your smart phone, answering a few e-mails and sending a couple of text messages. 

But what about those who are sight or hearing impaired?

Presently, one Canadian in seven is over 65, and this proportion is expected to grow as the baby boomers reach retirement age. In addition, some four million Canadians have a disability, and that number is expected to grow in the next 10 or 15 years with the aging of the Canadian population.

The CRTC has developed new requirements for broadcasters in order to facilitate use of the latest communication services by these groups of people. During the upcoming licence renewals, the CRTC will require broadcasters:

  • to improve and monitor the quality of closed captioning, and develop standards for closed captioning for digital and high-definition signals;
  • to provide high-quality audio descriptions, particularly for news bulletins; and  
  • to provide at least four hours of described video programming per week.

The CRTC also worked with the telecommunications industry to develop a cellphone that can meet the needs of disabled persons. These devices are equipped with larger buttons and screens that are wider or can be operated by vocal command.
 
Canada will soon have an Internet Protocol relay service on a national scale. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, an operator will convert text messages to voice, and vice versa, using an Internet-enabled device. Tests are also underway for video relay services. These services will enable a disabled person to make a call using a videophone. The conversation will be relayed in real time by a sign interpreter. We are following the results of the tests with interest, and hope to be able to put solutions in place without imposing unreasonable costs on the industry or consumers.

The transition to digital television

The question of access also affects Canadians living in remote areas. Currently, more than 92% of Canadian households subscribe to cable or satellite services, while the rest of the population depends on over-the-air reception. The transition from analog to digital television, planned for August 2011, may have an impact on many households, which could lose access to the signals of their local stations.

Given that fact, the CRTC has proposed measures to help the broadcasting industry prepare for the transition. It is estimated that up to 857,000 households in larger markets do not subscribe to cable or satellite service. Also, we estimate that a maximum of 31,500 households in the smaller markets outside urban centres could be affected.

Among other things, we have amended our regulations to enable cable and satellite distributors to provide a free package to these viewers. The package would include only the conventional local and regional television signals currently available over the air in a given market. Distributors would not be allowed to match this package with video-on-demand services or other broadcasting services.

Consumer awareness is a key element in the conversion to digital, and an information campaign is to be launched by the broadcasting industry no later than the spring of 2011. This way, Canadian viewers will be informed of the changes awaiting them later in the year.

Changing structure of the broadcasting industry

On a global scale, digital technologies are having a far-reaching influence on our daily lives, both individually and as a society. They also bring with them profound changes in the structure of our broadcasting and telecommunications systems. In fact, in the past 10 years, the Canadian broadcasting industry has seen numerous deals in which cable and satellite distributors have acquired television properties and in some cases, production companies.

This trend towards consolidation within the industry may be a result of the tools Canada has put in place to restrict foreign investments in certain sectors of our economy, notably the cultural sector.

In 2008, following a wave of consolidations within the broadcasting industry, the CRTC adopted new policies to ensure the diversity of voices and to restrict mixed ownership of media.

We note that there is currently a trend in some media towards vertical integration, a phenomenon that raises concerns regarding, among other things, the possibility that large integrated broadcasting companies could act in an anticompetitive manner. The Commission will therefore hold a public hearing in May 2011 on vertical integration and ensure that it has adequate tools to deal with competitive issues.

Conclusion

In closing, this REFRAM conference will give me an opportunity to learn more about the policies you have adopted in your respective countries with regard to the issues of access to information and programming, as well as the impact of structural changes in the media industry. What other issues are confronting you?

All these questions are of great interest to me, and I intend to participate actively in the debates set for today and tomorrow. Events like this one are extremely useful for sharing information on the challenges facing our audiovisual industries and the measures proposed to ensure they remain strong and stable in these times of great technological change.

I am honoured to participate in this panel of experts, and I would be pleased to answer your questions.



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This document is available in alternative format upon request.

Date Modified: 2010-11-29

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