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Broadcasting - Staff Letter addressed to Bev Kirshenblatt (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Gatineau, 7 July 2026

Reference: 2026-0044-4

BY EMAIL


Bev Kirshenblatt
Executive Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
bev.kirshenblatt@cbc.ca

Subject: Procedural request from Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC) - 2026-0044-4, Request for information and next steps

Bev Kirshenblatt,

On 25 June 2026, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) submitted to the Commission its response to the request for information dated 11 June 11, 2026, regarding the APFC’s application mentioned above. The documents submitted by the CBC include a production report in which the CBC breaks down expenditures on Canadian programs related to producers from French-language official language minority communities (OLMCs) for the 2022–2023, 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 broadcast years. 

On 30 June 2026, the APFC filed a new procedural request in response to the documents submitted by the SRC. In its letter, the APFC argues that errors have crept into the SRC’s production report. The APFC also asks the SRC to specify which production companies are behind the following projects to confirm that these are indeed programs produced by producers from OLMCs:

To continue the analysis of the application, we therefore ask that you answer the following questions:

  1. Please specify which production companies are behind the three projects mentioned above, as requested by the APFC, and demonstrate that these are indeed producers from French-language OLMCs.
  2. Please comment on the APFC’s allegations that errors may have crept into the production report submitted by the SRC. Please correct any errors if applicable.

Responses to the questions above must be submitted by 15 July 2026. Please repeat each question before answering it. Please also send a copy of your response to the APFC. The APFC will have 5 business days to reply, if you wish so, from the date the SRC sends its response to this letter. Staff also invites interested parties to consult the public record of this proceeding to review new documents that will be added, including this letter, related correspondence from the SRC and the APFC, and the abridged production report provided by the SRC in response to Commission staff’s request for information. An additional public process will follow to give interested parties the opportunity to submit their observations or comments on the newly filed information, within deadlines to be confirmed later. This public process will be followed by a consultation period reserved for OLMCs members.

The Commission requires that you file your documents electronically using the secure service “My CRTC Account” (Partner Log In or GCKey)” and fill out the “Broadcasting and Online News Act Cover Page” on this webpage. On this webpage, you will also find a link to information on submitting applications to the Commission by clicking on “Submit applications and other documents to the CRTC using the My CRTC Account Service.” We also ask that you email us a copy of your response letter using the email address below. Please also ensure that your correspondence includes file number 2026-0044-4.

Please also note that this letter and any related correspondence, except for information designated as confidential, will be published on the Commission’s website as part of a public proceeding and made available to the public for review.

Confidential Information

As set out in section 25.3 of the Broadcasting Act and in Procedures for filing and requesting disclosure of confidential information in Commission proceedings, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961, 23 December 2010, a person may designate certain information as confidential.

A party designating information as confidential must provide a detailed explanation of why the designated information is confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest. It must also explain why the specific direct harm that would likely result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in the disclosure.

Furthermore, a party designating information as confidential must either file an abridged version of the document omitting only the information designated as confidential or provide reasons why an abridged version cannot be filed.

If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Arguin, Senior Analyst, French-Language Audiovisual Programming, at the following address: catherine.arguin@crtc.gc.ca.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Julie St-Pierre
Manager, French-Language Audiovisual Programming 

CC: Carol Ann Pilon, Executive Director, Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada

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