Departmental Results Report 2024-25

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 2025

Catalogue No. BC9-27E-PDF

ISSN 2560-9971

Table of contents

• At a glance
• From the Minister
• From the Institutional Head
• Results - what we achieved
  • Core responsibility: Regulate and Supervise the Communications System
  • Internal services
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Financial statement highlights
  • Human resources
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Corporate Information
• Definitions

At a glance

This departmental results report details the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results outlined in its 2024–25 Departmental Plan.

• Vision, mission, raison d’etre and operating context

Key priorities

The CRTC identified the following key priorities for 2024-25:

• Promoting competition and investment to deliver reliable, affordable and high-quality Internet and cellphone services.
• Modernizing Canada’s broadcasting framework and creating the bargaining framework for the Online News Act.
• Investing in the CRTC to better serve Canadians.

Highlights for the CRTC in 2024-25

• Total actual spending (including internal services): $109,760,884
• Total full-time equivalent staff (including internal services): 691

For complete information on the CRTC’s total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of its full departmental results report.

Summary of results

The following provides a summary of the results the department achieved in 2024-25 under its main areas of activity, called “core responsibilities.”

Core responsibility: Regulate and Supervise the Communications System

Actual spending: $83,006,141

Actual full-time equivalent staff: 488

Promoting competition and investment to deliver reliable, affordable and high-quality Internet and cellphone services

The CRTC continued its public consultations to increase choice and affordability of high-speed Internet services by promoting greater competition between Internet service providers, while maintaining incentives for companies to invest in high-quality networks. It continued its review of the Broadband Fund Policy and issued its first decision to improve the fund to help make it faster and easier to connect Canadians to high-speed Internet and cellphone services. At the same time, the CRTC monitored the effectiveness of measures taken to promote competition and help deliver affordable cellphone plans to Canadians, including for Canadians travelling internationally and within Canada. The CRTC also took action to support and protect consumers. It launched three public consultations to make it easier for Canadians to choose Internet and cellphone plans that are best for them, and a fourth public consultation to help make shopping for Internet services easier. The CRTC continued its work to enhance the reliability and safety of telecommunications networks with its ongoing public consultation on requirements for reporting major service outages and by addressing unsolicited communications.

Modernizing Canada’s broadcasting framework and creating the bargaining framework for the Online News Act

The CRTC took several major steps forwardto modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework to promote and support Canadian and Indigenous content.

Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, the CRTC launched nine public consultations and published several decisions. These included its decision on base contributions, which requires online streaming services to contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system. As part of its new mandate under the Online News Act, the CRTC also set up the bargaining framework to ensure fair bargaining between news organizations and online platforms that make news content available in Canada. The CRTC also continued its three-phase consultation to co-develop a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy with Indigenous broadcasters, creators and audiences.

Investing in the CRTC to better serve Canadians

The CRTC addressed the historical backlog of Part 1 applications and processed new applications as they were received. At the same time, the CRTC streamlined internal processes to save time and accelerate its work. It also continued to eliminate unnecessary or duplicative reporting requirements to reduce the administrative burden on the industry. The CRTC continued to strengthen and expand its engagement with Canadians, Indigenous peoples, official language minority community (OLMC) groups and equity-deserving groups to help ensure broad and inclusive participation in its public consultations.

For more information on the CRTC’s Regulate and Supervise the Communications System read the ‘Results – what we achieved” section of its departmental results report.

From the Minister

The Canadian Heritage portfolio brings together organizations with varied mandates that work to promote culture, the arts, heritage and human rights. Together, they form one of the most diverse portfolios in the Government of Canada. These organizations—including the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)—use their expertise to help us build a society that reflects who we are and that stands out on the world stage for its excellence, its creativity, its shared values and its diversity.

The CRTC regulates Canada's communications sector, which has become essential to our culture and economy. Over the past year, the CRTC has continued to implement the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, while taking concrete steps to promote access to reliable, affordable and high-quality Internet and cellphone services for all Canadians.

I am proud to present the 2024–25 Departmental Results Report for the CRTC. I am pleased to be able to count on the organizations in the Canadian Heritage portfolio to help us chart a path toward an even stronger and more united Canada.

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

From the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

On behalf of the CRTC, I am pleased to present the 2024-25 Departmental Results Report.

The CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and make decisions based on the public record. Through public consultations, hearings and outreach, we gather diverse perspectives that inform our work.

Over the past year, we have worked to help deliver reliable, affordable, and high-quality Internet and cellphone services for Canadians, continued to advance the modernization of Canada’s broadcasting framework and implementation of the Online News Act, and made improvements to ensure that the CRTC is a modern, inclusive and timely regulator.

As we close out 2024-25, we look ahead to continuing to work with stakeholders and partners in the coming year to deliver results for Canadians.

Vicky Eatrides
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

Results - what we achieved

Core responsibility and internal services

• Core responsibility: Regulate and Supervise the Communications System
• Internal services

Core responsibility: Regulate and Supervise the Communications System

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Progress on results
• Details on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government priorities
• Program inventory

Description

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an administrative tribunal that is responsible for regulating and supervising Canada’s communications system in the public interest.

Established to develop, implement and enforce regulatory policies on the Canadian communications system, the CRTC performs a wide range of functions, including rule making and policy development. It has the quasi-judicial powers of a superior court with respect to the production and examination of evidence and the enforcement of its decisions. As an administrative tribunal it operates at arm’s length from the federal government.

The CRTC develops regulatory policies for Canada’s communication system; approves mergers, acquisitions and changes of ownership of broadcasting distribution undertakings; approves tariffs and agreements for certain telecommunication services; issues, renews and amends licences for broadcasting distribution and programming undertakings; and resolves disputes regarding certain commercial arrangements. The CRTC intervenes specifically in situations where market forces alone cannot achieve the policy objectives set out within its legislative mandate.

Quality of life impacts

The CRTC’s core responsibility contributes to three domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada: “Prosperity,” “Society” and “Good governance.” More specifically, the CRTC contributes to “Access to high-speed Internet,” “Sense of Pride/belonging to Canada,” “Participation in cultural practices,” “Accessible environments” and “Indigenous self-determination” through its work to regulate and supervise Canada’s communications system.

Progress on results

This section details the department’s performance against its targets for each departmental result under Core responsibility: Regulate and Supervise the Communications System.

Table 1: Canadian content is created

Table 1 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and the actual result for each indicator under Canadian content is created in the last three fiscal years.

Table 2: Canadians are connected to world-class communications services

Table 2 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under Canadians are connected to world-class communications services in the last three fiscal years.

Table 3: Canadians are protected within the communications system

Table 3 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under Canadians are protected within the communications system in the last three fiscal years.

Table 4: Proceedings related to the regulation of the communications system are efficient and fair

Table 4 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under Proceedings related to the regulation of the communications system are efficient and fair in the last three fiscal years.

The Results section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase page provides additional information on results and performance related to its program inventory.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for Regulate and Supervise the Communications System in 2024–25 compared with the planned results set out in the CRTC’s departmental plan for the year.

Canadian content is created

Results achieved

• Implementing the amended Broadcasting Act
• Implementing the Online News Act
• Co-developing the Indigenous Broadcasting Policy 

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to support a modern, diverse and robust sector, reaching Canadians with broadcasting content through television, radio and online platforms. It helped ensure that Canadians had access to compelling content from multiple sources on a variety of platforms.

The CRTC measures its effectiveness through the annual investment in the Canadian broadcasting sector. In 2024-25, the total investment in Canadian television programming production was $4.81 billion — above the target range of $4 billion to $4.5 billion.

Implement the amended Broadcasting Act

The CRTC continued its work to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and to promote and support Canadian and Indigenous content.

In 2024-25, the CRTC took several major steps forward to implement the amended Broadcasting Act. Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, it launched nine public consultations and published several decisions. These included its key decision on base contributions, which established the base financial contributions that online streaming services must make to support the Canadian broadcasting system. Based on the public record, the CRTC required certain online streaming services to contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system, resulting in an estimated approximately $200 million annually in new funding.

As part of its regulatory plan, the CRTC also launched public consultations on the definition of Canadian content in the audio-visual sector, the modernization of radio processes, the accessibility of online programming for persons with disabilities, the market dynamics within Canada’s broadcasting system and the definition of Canadian content for audio services.

Implement the Online News Act

In 2024-25, the CRTC moved quickly to advance the implementation of the Online News Act, which is intended to help Canadian news organizations reach fair commercial agreements with the largest online platforms. It launched four public consultations and issued decisions on three of those consultations. One of the key decisions established the mandatory bargaining framework that would apply when major online platforms and eligible Canadian news organizations work toward an agreement.

The Online News Act Application and Exemption Regulations allow online platforms to request an exemption from being required to bargain with individual news organizations if they reach a funding agreement with an organization that represents a broad range of Canadian news organizations. In 2024-25, the CRTC approved an exemption application submitted by Google. Following a public consultation launched within three weeks of receiving the application, the CRTC granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act. As a result, Google is required to pay $100 million annually (indexed to inflation) to the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC) to disburse the funding to news businesses in Canada. Google’s initial payment of $100 million was received in December 2024 and the CJC began distributing the funds amongst members of the collective in March 2025.

Co-develop the Indigenous Broadcasting Policy

The CRTC is committed to upholding the Government of Canada’s commitment to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. In 2024-25, the CRTC continued its three-phase consultation to co-develop a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples that meets the needs and interests of Indigenous broadcasters, creators and audiences. The second phase, a public consultation, gathered views on how to support Indigenous broadcasters and creators, and how to ensure Indigenous stories and voices are represented, easily found, and shared across all platforms. The renewed policy will be grounded in self-determination and will help to ensure that the needs and interests of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are met.

Canadians are connected to world-class communications services

Results achieved

• Promoted choice, affordability, and high-quality cellphone services
• Promoted competition and investment to deliver high-quality Internet services
• Improved reliability and affordability to help connect all Canadians
• Enhanced network resiliency and service reliability
• Enhanced the accessibility of telecommunications services

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to promote competition to deliver reliable and high-quality Internet and cellphone services to Canadians at affordable prices while supporting investment in high-quality networks.

The CRTC measures its effectiveness through the percentage of Canadian households that have access to fixed broadband Internet access services and to the latest generally deployed mobile wireless technology, and the percentage of total fixed broadband subscriptions that are high-capacity compared to the OECD average.

In 2024-25, 96.1% of households in Canada had access to Internet services and 99.5% had access to the latest mobile wireless technology. Canada had a 6.8 percentage point lead on total fixed high-capacity broadband subscriptions compared to the OECD average.

Promoted choice, affordability, and high-quality cellphone services

In 2024-25, the CRTC took action to help make cellphone use more affordable, including when Canadians travel internationally and within Canada. It called on large cellphone companies to take immediate action to provide affordable roaming options to Canadians when travelling abroad. While new international roaming plans were introduced, the CRTC emphasized the need for further improvements and required cellphone companies to submit progress reports for ongoing monitoring. The CRTC also took steps to help make it more affordable for Canadians to travel within Canada by requiring cellphone providers to set new wholesale roaming rates through timely negotiations with each other.

The CRTC also continued its consultation to simplify and help the deployment of fifth generation (5G) networks. In this consultation, the CRTC is examining whether it should modify existing rules that allow third parties to attach equipment – such as 5G small cells – onto poles across Canada.

Promoted competition and investment to deliver high-quality Internet services

In 2024-25, the CRTC took a major step forward to improve competition in Canada’s Internet services market with its decision to provide competitors with a workable way to sell Internet services using the fibre-to-the-home networks of large telephone companies, while maintaining incentives for companies to invest in high-quality networks. This decision stemmed from the 2023-24 public consultation on improving Internet services competition in Canada. The consultation included a week-long public hearing and over 300 submissions, including from large Internet service providers, competitors and consumers.

Based on the record of this consultation, the CRTC mandated workable access to the large telephone companies’ fibre across Canada and required that access be available in February 2025. This decision makes Internet service providers work harder to win Canadians’ business so that consumers can benefit from lower prices and innovative new offers.

Improve reliability and affordability to help connect all Canadians

Through its Broadband Fund, the CRTC contributes to a broad effort by federal, provincial and territorial governments to address the gap in connectivity in underserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada. The Broadband Fund improves access to high-speed Internet and cellphone services, connecting essential institutions such as schools, health care facilities and community centres.

In 2024-25, the CRTC committed more than $350 million to two projects that serve Inuit communities. The first project will bring high-speed fibre to four remote Inuit communities (supporting over 4,000 households and over 80 essential institutions) in Nunavut for the first time. The second project will bring high-speed fibre to five Inuit communities (supporting over 700 households and 40 essential institutions) in northern Quebec, all of which are OLMCs. The CRTC also awarded funding to projects that will improve cellphone service along nearly one hundred kilometers of major roads in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Ontario, as well as five projects that will bring high-speed fibre Internet to rural communities in Manitoba, British Columbia and the Yukon.

At the same time, the CRTC completed the first phase of its public consultation to review and improve the Broadband Fund, which will help make it faster and easier to connect Canadians to high-speed Internet and cellphone services. The CRTC made three key improvements to the Broadband Fund. First, the CRTC made it easier to submit an application and sped up its evaluation of projects. Second, the CRTC worked to better support Indigenous applicants, communities, and Indigenous-led projects. Third, the CRTC improved how it determines which areas are eligible for funding, making it easier for potential applicants to identify the hardest-to-reach communities so that they can be connected more quickly.

In 2024-25, the CRTC announced three key measures to help improve telecommunications services in the Far North. First, to help improve affordability, the CRTC introduced a new monthly subsidy for retail Internet services, available to all households in the Far North regardless of their Internet service provider. A public consultation was launched in January 2025 to finalize details regarding the subsidy. Second, to help improve the quality and reliability of Internet services, the CRTC required Northwestel Inc., the region’s largest provider, to provide automatic bill credits to customers when terrestrial Internet services are disrupted for 24 hours or more. Third, to foster competition and expand consumer choice, the CRTC made it easier for other Internet service providers to use Northwestel Inc.’s network and offer services to residents of the Far North.

Enhanced network resiliency and service reliability

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued its work to help ensure telecommunications services are reliable. This included continuing to examine requirements for reporting major service outages and future consultations on consumer communication and compensation requirements.

Pursued Measuring Broadband Canada

The Measuring Broadband Canada project (MBC) measures actual connection speeds in Canadian homes to ensure consumers are getting the Internet speeds they purchased, help providers improve their networks, and inform the CRTC’s policies for Internet services. In 2024-25, the CRTC, in collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), completed the third phase of the MBC. This phase focused on the performance of fixed wireless Internet ^{Footnote 9} services with download speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) or faster provided to Canadian homes.

Updated Video Relay Service Policy to enhance accessibility

The CRTC remains dedicated to ensuring that all persons in Canada have barrier-free access to telecommunications services, including Canadians whose first language is sign language. In 2024-25, the CRTC completed its review of video relay service (VRS) in Canada and published an updated VRS Policy. The policy will help ensure that VRS continues to meet the ever-evolving needs of its users.

Canadians are protected within the communications system

Results achieved

• Protected consumers
• Improved 9-1-1 telecommunications services
• Better access to public alerts

Part of the CRTC’s role as Canada’s communications regulator is to help ensure that Canadians are protected within the communications system.

The CRTC measures its effectiveness using several metrics: the percentage of organizations that remain compliant within three years after enforcement action is taken on unsolicited commercial communications; the percentage of broadcasting undertakings participating in the public alerting system; the percentage of Canadian subscribers with access to public alerting through wireless service providers; and the percentage of facilities-based telecommunications service providers that are compliant with obligations associated with ensuring all 9-1-1 communications made by Canadians are delivered to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

In 2024-25, 96.25% of organizations remained compliant within three years after enforcement action was taken, 98.87% of broadcasting undertakings participated in the public alerting system, 99.98% of Canadians had access to public alerting through wireless service providers, and 100% of facilities-based telecommunications service providers were compliant with ensuring 9-1-1 communications by Canadians were delivered to PSAPs.

Protected consumers

The CRTC is helping to ensure that Canadians have clear contracts, are not surprised by higher bills, and have the information they need to make the best choices about their Internet, cellphone, and television services.

In 2024-25, it launched three public consultations to make it easier for Canadians to choose the Internet and cellphone plans that are best for them. First, the CRTC is considering new measures to ensure Canadians are notified when their plans or discounts are about to end. Second, the CRTC is looking at stopping providers from charging fees when Canadians cancel or change their plans. Third, the CRTC is exploring how self-serve options could help Canadians when they need to change or cancel their plans.

The CRTC also launched a public hearing to make it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services. It is considering setting standards for providing consumers clear and simple information, such as price and speed, to help Canadians easily compare plans.

In 2024-25, the CRTC also continued to examine and monitor the implementation of technical solutions to maintain trusted telecommunications networks for Canadians.

The CRTC, along with the Competition Bureau and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, is responsible for a civil regulatory regime that promotes and monitors compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The CRTC also promotes compliance with the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules (UTRs) that include the National Do Not Call List.

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to advance rules to authorize Canadian carriers to block botnets and other cyber-related threats at the network level. The CRTC also continued its work with Canadian carriers to prevent nuisance calls and text messages by examining ways to disrupt these types of communications.

In 2024-25, the CRTC issued penalties of $1,778,400 for alleged violations under either CASL or the UTRs.

Improved 9-1-1 telecommunications services

9-1-1 is a bridge that connects Canadians to emergency services in times of need. In the majority of cases, 9-1-1 calls are connected directly to provincial, territorial, or municipal call centres. The CRTC does not oversee these public 9-1-1 call centres, also known as PSAPs. The CRTC’s role regarding 9-1-1 is to regulate telecommunications services that connect 9-1-1 calls to first responders.

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to help improve the 9-1-1 services provided by telecommunications service providers. This included requiring that the providers implement additional measures to improve the resiliency of 9-1-1 services and reduce the impact of outages, such as making sure 9-1-1 calls are prioritized within networks when they are busy and improved mapping to help emergency services locate 9-1-1 callers more accurately. The CRTC also continued monitoring the transition to next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1), which will give Canadians and first responders new tools such as real-time text messages to enhance the safety of all Canadians.

Better access to public alerts

The National Public Alerting System (NPAS) is a federal, provincial, and territorial system that enables emergency management organizations across Canada to warn the public about imminent or possible dangers such as floods, tornados, fires, and other disasters. Emergency alerts are created and sent by authorized emergency management organizations, such as police departments, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and provincial and territorial governments. For public alerting, the CRTC ensures that all broadcasting undertakings participate in the public alerting system and that all Canadians have access to public alerts through wireless service providers.

In 2024-25, 98.87% of broadcasting undertakings participated in the public alerting system. The broadcasters that were not yet participating were small independent services, such as community stations that serve relatively small numbers of Canadians. These undertakings cited challenges with funding and technical expertise as reasons for being unable to implement public alerting. These broadcasters have been given deadlines to participate in the system based on their individual circumstances. The CRTC continues to actively engage with them.

In 2024-25, 99.98% of Canadians had access to public alerting through wireless service providers. Two small wireless service providers with a small number of subscribers were not participating in the system. The CRTC has been in contact with these providers to understand their circumstances and to emphasize the importance of participating in the NPAS. The CRTC continues to work towards their participation in the NPAS.

Proceedings related to the regulation of the communications system are efficient and fair

Results achieved

• Engaged with Indigenous communities through the Indigenous Relations Team
• Enhanced consultations with OLMCs
• Engaged with equity-deserving groups

The CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates Canada’s communications sector in the public interest. It holds public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and makes decisions based on the public record. To build public records that bring a diversity of perspectives, the CRTC aims for its consultations to be inclusive so that everyone can participate. In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to develop new and improved ways to engage with Canadians to help ensure broad and inclusive participation in its consultations.

The CRTC measures its efficiency through the number of decisions overturned on judicial appeal for procedural fairness and through the timeliness of the publication of decisions on Part 1 telecommunications and broadcasting applications. In 2024-25, no decisions were overturned, and 95.5% of applications were resolved within four months of the close of record.

Engaged with Indigenous communities through the Indigenous Relations Team

In 2023-24, the CRTC established an Indigenous Relations Team (IRT) that is Indigenous-led with predominantly Indigenous staff. In 2024-25, the team continued to engage with Indigenous communities, organizations, and industry partners to support their participation in the CRTC’s processes as well as in the industries it regulates. They also continued to operate a dedicated point of contact focused on building and maintaining meaningful relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and interested parties based on mutual respect and trust. It also worked internally to promote best practices in engaging with Indigenous peoples and to promote the perspectives of Indigenous peoples in the policy development process. For example, the IRT worked to support Indigenous applicants, communities, and Indigenous-led projects in the CRTC’s review of the Broadband Fund Policy.

Enhanced consultations with OLMCs

In 2024–25, the CRTC took measures to enhance its engagement with OLMCs and make sure that they are consulted in decisions that may affect them. To support this goal, it made progress toward establishing an OLMC Engagement Team. The team will foster active dialogue and improve information sharing with OLMC stakeholder groups before, during and after public processes.

This is one of several initiatives that the CRTC is pursuing in its ongoing commitment to OLMCs and official languages. In 2024-25, the CRTC launched a public consultation on how it can strengthen its practices and procedures to further support OLMCs and other stakeholders on broadcasting matters relating to OLMCs and official languages. These guidelines will also inform the CRTC’s consultation practices in other public consultations, such as those relating to the Telecommunications Act and the Online News Act.

Better engagement with equity-deserving groups

Recognizing the challenges faced by certain Canadians and communities, in 2024-25, the CRTC continued to engage with equity-deserving groups to maintain the fairness of its consultations. Its decision on the base contributions that online services must make to support the Canadian broadcasting system was based on a robust public consultation that helped ensure that the evidence and views of equity-deserving groups, including Black and racialized stakeholders, were part of the public record.

Based on the public record, the CRTC took positive steps to address inequities in the Canadian broadcasting system by targeting funding to the Indigenous Screen Office Fund, the Black Screen Office Fund, the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC (Black and People of Color) Creators, the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, the Indigenous Music Office and other funds that meaningfully support Indigenous and equity-deserving producers and content.

Key risks

The broadcasting and telecommunications environments are undergoing immense change. The CRTC has been given a new and significantly expanded mandate and is being called on to rework its rules and regulations and to create new ones within a short period of time. This requires significant consultation to obtain a broad range of views and build a robust public record to make decisions, while also moving quickly to provide certainty to everyone who is affected by those decisions.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 5: Snapshot of resources required for Regulate and Supervise the Communications System

Table 5 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase page and the People section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase page provide complete financial and human resources information related to its program inventory.

Related government priorities

This section highlights government priorities that are being addressed through this core responsibility.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

More information on the CRTC’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Program inventory

Regulate and Supervise the Communications System is supported by the following programs:

• Support for Canadian content creation
• Connection to the communications system
• Protection within the communications system

Additional information related to the program inventory for Regulate and Supervise the Communications System is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Internal services

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Resources required to achieve results
• Contracts awarded to Indigenous business

Description

Internal services refer to the activities and resources that support a department in its work to meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. The 10 categories of internal services are:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management
• financial management
• information management
• information technology
• real property
• materiel
• acquisitions

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Accessibility

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued to create a more fair, inclusive and diverse workplace.

The CRTC continued to implement the commitments outlined in its 2023–25 Accessibility Plan, making significant progress in advancing accessibility across its internal operations and digital platforms. Led by its Accessibility team, the CRTC prioritized accessibility-specific training and awareness initiatives focused on topics such as Deaf culture, invisible disabilities, the duty to accommodate, and inclusive hiring practices. 86% of employees completed mandatory training on disability inclusion and addressing barriers to accessibility. The CRTC also held American Sign Language (ASL) classes and plain language workshops to improve the clarity and accessibility of its communications. These efforts have made its services and consultations accessible to more Canadians.

In 2024-25, the CRTC also continued to strengthen its internal processes by consulting with persons with disabilities and incorporating employee feedback. As part of this effort, it established a committee to enhance the visibility, transparency, and timeliness of the employee accommodation process. Initial proposals from the committee focused on integrating the upcoming Digital Accessibility Passport into existing processes and adopting a more holistic, coordinated approach.

The CRTC also took steps to ensure its services are inclusive and user-friendly for all Canadians. It reviewed its public-facing IT systems to assess compliance with accessibility standards and developed plans for improvement. A new procurement strategy was introduced to ensure that new IT systems are accessible by design.

Diversity and inclusion, and a healthy working environment

In 2024–25, the CRTC also fully implemented changes to the Public Service Employment Act, improving recruitment practices by mitigating or removing biases or barriers that could disadvantage persons belonging to employment equity and equity-deserving groups.

The CRTC also made measurable progress toward its diversity representation targets for women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and persons with disabilities. Representation of visible minorities increased by 4.56%, and persons with disabilities by 2.02%.^{Footnote 10}

Accountability for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) objectives was strengthened by integrating measures into performance management agreements across all levels, starting with executives. New representation and inclusion metrics were introduced for consideration in 2024-25 executive performance evaluations.

EDI objectives were supported by a key initiative launched in 2024-25 by the Human Resources team to make it faster and easier to collect, report and analyze employment equity data. This has helped the team to respond to new trends more quickly by cutting down processing times.

Digital by design

In 2024-25, the CRTC continued its transition to a digital organization by design, leveraging advanced analytics and new technologies to increase operational efficiency and accessibility. These improvements helped to provide faster and more intuitive services for Canadians.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 6: Resources required to achieve results for internal services this year

Table 6 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase and the People section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase provide complete financial and human resources information related to its program inventory.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are required to award at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses every year.

CRTC results for 2024-25:

Table 7: Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses^{Footnote *}

As shown in Table 7, the CRTC awarded 10.47% of the total value of all contracts to Indigenous businesses for the fiscal year.

In its 2025–26 Departmental Plan, the CRTC estimated that it would award 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2024–25. The CRTC exceeded this target, achieving 10.47% due to several strategic initiatives. In 2024–25, the required renovations to the CRTC’s headquarters were completed and the CRTC completed its move back. It voluntarily set aside contracts for moving services, office supplies, office furniture and IT equipment.

In its 2025–26 Departmental Plan, the CRTC estimated that it would award 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2024–25. The CRTC exceeded this target, achieving 10.47% due to several strategic initiatives. In 2024–25, the required renovations to the CRTC’s headquarters were completed and the CRTC completed its move back. It voluntarily set aside contracts for moving services, office supplies, office furniture and IT equipment.

Strategic Initiatives

1. Voluntary set-asides: The CRTC implemented voluntary set-asides for contracts related to moving services, office supplies, office furniture and IT equipment. As the requirements for the move became clearer, implementing the set aside allowed the CRTC to meet and exceed the 5 % target while ensuring that a significant portion of contracts were awarded to Indigenous businesses.
2. Collaboration across sectors: The successful implementation of these initiatives required collaboration between various branches, including Finance and Accounting, IT, Facilities and Accommodation, as well as multiple planning committees with representatives across all sectors. This cross-sector effort ensured that the set-asides were effectively managed and that the needs of each sector were able to be met to the best of the CRTC’s abilities.
3. Monitoring and evaluation: The CRTC monitored and evaluated the capacity gaps and explored additional commodities to explore further opportunities to evolve its contracts with Indigenous businesses. This proactive approach allowed the CRTC to identify and address any challenges promptly, ensuring the success of the initiatives.

Moving forward, the CRTC is committed to maintaining the 5% target. With the completion of the move, the need for moving services and office furniture will be reduced. However, the CRTC will continue to explore additional commodities for opportunities and monitor capacity gaps to evolve its contracts with Indigenous businesses.

Spending and human resources

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Financial statement highlights
• Human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned expenditures from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Refocusing Government Spending

As an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal that operates at arm’s length from the federal government, the majority of the CRTC’s activities are funded by the industry it regulates through regulatory fees.

While not officially part of this spending reduction exercise, to respect the spirit of this exercise, the CRTC undertook the following measures in 2024-25.

• Closely monitored all spending, including travel and consulting services.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 8 Actual three-year spending on core responsibility and internal services (dollars)

Table 8 shows the money that the CRTC spent in each of the past three years on its core responsibility and on internal services.

Analysis of the past three years of spending

For fiscal years 2022-23 to 2024-25, spending represents the actual expenditures as reported in the Public Accounts of Canada.

The increase in actual spending from 2022-23 to 2023-24 was mainly due to the ratification of several government-wide collective agreements (including retroactive payments), which caused salaries and related costs to rise.

Spending for fiscal year 2024-25 increased compared to previous years due to the ratification of several government-wide collective agreements (including retroactive payments), and the increase in regulatory work to support significant amendments to the Broadcasting Act, and to advance telecommunications files.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase offers more financial information from previous years.

Table 9 Planned three-year spending on core responsibility and internal services (dollars)

Table 9 shows the CRTC’s planned spending for each of the next three years on its core responsibility and on internal services.

Analysis of the next three years of spending

Planned spending for fiscal years 2025-26 to 2027-28 corresponds to the Main Estimates.  Supplementary funding for items such as legislative amendments, salary adjustments for ratified collective agreements and carry-forward adjustments are currently unknown and, therefore, not reflected.

Planned spending for fiscal year 2025-26 is expected to increase due to the advancement of regulatory work to support significant amendments to the Broadcasting Act. Temporary funding was approved in 2024-25 for additional resources to accelerate the implementation of the amended Broadcasting Act.

The decrease in planned spending in 2026-27 follows the sunsetting of those temporary funds.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase offers more detailed financial information related to future years.

Table 10: Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)

Table 10 reconciles gross planned spending with net spending for 2024–25.

Analysis of budgetary actual gross spending summary

The CRTC collects revenues in line with fees regulations to finance its regulatory work in broadcasting and telecommunications. These regulations are:

• Broadcasting fees (Broadcasting Fees Regulations);
• Annual telecommunications fees (Telecommunications Fees Regulations, 2010); and
• Unsolicited telecommunications fees for compliance and enforcement activities related to the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) (Unsolicited Telecommunications Fees Regulations).

The Finances section of the Infographic for the CRTC on GC Infobase offers information on the alignment of the CRTC’s spending with Government of Canada’s spending and activities.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department’s voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. Consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures for further information on funding authorities.

Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period

Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Table version

Year	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26	2026–27	2027–28
Statutory	8,290,627	9,911,805	11,550,960	11,909,759	11,418,994	11,408,216
Voted and Vote-netted revenue	68,771,502	82,669,733	98,209,924	101,622,797	96,076,287	95,449,781
Total	77,062,129	92,581,583	109,760,884	113,532,556	107,495,281	106,857,997

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

The CRTC is mainly funded through fees that are collected to cover the cost of its regulatory work. The increase in funding from 2022-23 to 2023-24 was mainly due to increased vote-netted revenues related to the ratification of several government-wide collective agreements (including retroactive payments), which caused salaries and related costs to rise.

The coming into force of the amended Broadcasting Act in April 2023 resulted in an increase in regulatory work, which required an increase in vote-netted revenues in 2024-25 and a temporary increase in voted funding in 2025-26 to accelerate the implementation of the legislation.

Funding for fiscal years 2025-26 to 2027-28 corresponds to the Main Estimates. Supplementary funding for items such as legislative amendments, salary adjustments for ratified collective agreements and carry-forward adjustments are currently unknown and, therefore, not reflected.

Consult the Public Accounts of Canada for further information on the CRTC’s departmental voted and statutory expenditures.

Financial statement highlights

The CRTC’s Financial Statements (Unaudited) for the Year Ended March 31, 2025.

Table 11 Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Table 11 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2024–25 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

The 2024–25 planned results information is provided in the CRTC’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2024–25.

Table 12: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for 2023-24 and 2024-25 (dollars)

Table 12 summarizes actual expenses and revenues and shows the net cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Analysis of differences in expenses and revenues between 2023-24 and 2024-25

Expenses

Expenses increased by $19.4 million compared to 2023-24, mainly due to the ratification of several government-wide collective agreements (including retroactive payments), and the increase in regulatory work to support significant amendments to the Broadcasting Act and to advance telecommunications files.

Revenues

Revenues do not include the non-respendable revenues collected on behalf of the Government of Canada, which totalled $17.6 million for 2024–25.

Revenues increased by $15.8 million compared to 2023-24 as a result of the coming into force of the amended Broadcasting Act in April 2023, resulting in an increase in regulatory work, which required an increase in vote-netted revenues in 2024-25.

Table 13 Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as at March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Table 13 provides a brief snapshot of the amounts the department owes or must spend (liabilities) and its available resources (assets), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.

Analysis of department’s liabilities and assets since last fiscal year

The net financial position decreased by $0.8 million compared to 2023-24. This change is attributed to the following factors:

• Total liabilities increased by $8.4 million, which was driven by an increase in accrued liabilities of $7.6 million, vacation pay and compensatory time of $0.6 million, and employee future benefits of $0.2 million.
• Offset by an increase in total financial assets of $7.6 million, mainly due to an increase in amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Table 14: Actual human resources for core responsibility and internal services

Table 14 shows a summary in full-time equivalents of human resources for the CRTC’s core responsibility and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years.

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

The increases in actual full-time equivalents from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is attributable to staffing required to prepare for and implement the amended Broadcasting Act and the Online News Act, and to advance telecommunications files.

Table 15: Human resources planning summary for core responsibility and internal services

Table 15 shows the planned full-time equivalents for each of the CRTC’s core responsibility and for its internal services for the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecast based on year to date.

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

The planned temporary increase in full-time equivalents in 2025-26 is attributable to staffing required to accelerate the implementation of the amended Broadcasting Act.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on the CRTC’s website:

• Gender‑based Analysis Plus

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Corporate Information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

Ministerial portfolio: Canadian Heritage Portfolio

Enabling instrument[s]:

• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act
• Bell Canada Act
• Broadcasting Act
• Telecommunications Act
• Canada Elections Act
• An Act to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy by regulating certain activities that discourage reliance on electronic means of carrying out commercial activities, and to amend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, the Competition Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Telecommunications Act (CASL)
• Accessible Canada Act
• Online News Act

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1968

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:

Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B1

or

Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0N2

Telephone:

In Canada:
Toll-free: 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
Toll-free TTY: 1-877-909-CRTC (2782)

Outside Canada:
819‑997‑0313
TTY: 819-994-0423

Fax: 819-994-0218

Website: https://www.crtc.gc.ca

Definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, departments or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role of a department. The departmental results listed for a core responsibility reflect the outcomes that the department seeks to influence or achieve.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report that outlines the anticipated activities and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3-year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament in spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan, project or activity that a department focuses and reports on during a specific planning period. Priorities represent the most important things to be done or those to be addressed first to help achieve the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A high-level outcome related to the core responsibilities of a department.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative or qualitative measure that assesses progress toward a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report outlining a department’s accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

Full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

Measures the person years in a departmental budget.  An employee's scheduled hours per week divided by the employer's hours for a full-time workweek calculates a full-time equivalent. For example, an employee who works 20 hours in a 40-hour standard workweek represents a 0.5 full-time equivalent.

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool that helps to understand the ways diverse individuals experience policies, programs and other initiatives. Applying GBA Plus to policies, programs and other initiatives helps to identify the different needs of the people affected, the ways to be more responsive and inclusive, and the methods to anticipate and mitigate potential barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2024–25 Departmental Results Report, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda as announced in the 2021 Speech from the Throne .

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

A program, project or other initiative where two or more federal departments receive funding to work collaboratively on a shared outcome usually linked to a government priority, and where the ministers involved agree to designate it as horizontal. Specific reporting requirements apply, including that the lead department must report on combined expenditures and results.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purposes of a Departmental Result Report, this includes any entity that meets the Indigenous Services Canada’s criteria of being owned and operated by Elders, band and tribal councils, registered in the Indigenous Business Directory or registered on a modern treaty beneficiary business list.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative measure that assesses progress toward a departmental-level or program-level result, or the expected outputs or outcomes of a program, policy or initiative.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to the amounts presented in Main Estimates. Departments must determine their planned spending and be able to defend the financial numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

An Individual, group, or combination of services and activities managed together within a department and focused on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

A listing that identifies all the department’s programs and the resources that contribute to delivering on the department’s core responsibilities and achieving its results.

result (résultat)

An outcome or output related to the activities of a department, policy, program or initiative.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Spending approved through legislation passed in Parliament, other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose and the terms and conditions of the expenditures.

target (cible)

A quantitative or qualitative, measurable goal that a department, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Spending approved annually through an appropriation act passed in Parliament. The vote also outlines the conditions that govern the spending.