Question Period Note: Role and mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada

In the context of the changing realities of the media ecosystem and reforming Canada’s broadcasting policy, the question arises as to the future role and mandate of the national public broadcaster, including with regards to the extent of the Corporation’s commercial orientation.

• As the national public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada’s role is to serve and reflect all Canadians.
• As we take further steps to modernize the broadcasting system, we will consider how best to position our national public broadcaster to meet the needs and expectations of Canadians, now and in the future.

• CBC/Radio-Canada is a federal Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from government but reports annually to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Corporation’s board consists of 12 directors (including the president and chairperson), who are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister to hold office for terms not exceeding five years.
• As the national public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada occupies a unique place in Canada’s media landscape. The Broadcasting Act entrusts it with a special mandate to provide a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens, and entertains. The Act also sets out several overarching policy objectives for its programming, including that it should be predominantly and distinctively Canadian, reflect the different needs and circumstances of each official-language community, and contribute to shared national consciousness and identity.
• Together with its statutory guarantees of freedom of expression and journalistic, creative, and programming independence, CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate and programming objectives reflect many of the core values and defining characteristics of public-service broadcasting, including breadth, quality, and distinctiveness of programming; independence from political and commercial interests; concern for national identity and culture; an emphasis on regional reflection; special consideration for minority populations and general geographical availability.
• CBC/Radio-Canada relies on a mixed funding model that combines government appropriations and earned revenues from advertising, subscriptions, and other commercial activities. In 2019-20, it received an appropriation of $1.2 billion and reported $504 million in earned revenues, including $254 million in advertising and $124 million in subscriber fees.
• The Corporation operates a range of licensed (traditional) and unlicensed (digital) services, including two conventional television networks (27 stations), five discretionary television stations, four radio networks (88 stations), two national news websites, two streaming and video-on-demand apps (Gem and ICI TOU.TV), and a variety of other digital services.
• Despite transformative changes in how audio and audiovisual content is produced and distributed, CBC/Radio-Canada remains a pillar of Canada’s media ecosystem and creative economy. In 2020, it accounted for 22 percent ($561 million) of total expenditures on Canadian programming across all conventional and discretionary television services, including 27 percent of all expenditures on news and 52 percent of all expenditures on Canadian drama and comedy.
• The Corporation’s contribution to Canada’s media ecosystem is particularly evident on conventional television, where in 2020 it outspent the entire private sector in every genre of programming that the CRTC deems to be of national interest, including drama and comedy, children’s and youth, long-form documentary, and variety and performing arts. The Corporation is also the single most important domestic partner to Canada’s independent production sector: in 2020, it accounted for more than one out of every three dollars spent by Canadian broadcasters on programming acquired from independent producers.
• In May 2019, CBC/Radio-Canada published its current strategic plan (Your Stories, Taken to Heart), which focuses on five key priorities: 1) customized digital services; 2) engaging with young audiences; 3) prioritizing local connections; 4) reflecting contemporary Canada; and 5) taking Canada to the world.
• Many stakeholders have called for CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to be updated to reflect the changed realities of the new media environment. In its January 2020 final report, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review (BTLR) panel recommended several legislative amendments aimed at transforming CBC/Radio-Canada into a national public media institution with the means to experiment, take risks, and further diversify its content. The BTLR panel also recommended adding the following objectives for the Corporation’s programming: reflecting local communities and audiences; providing national, regional, and local news; reflecting Canadian perspectives on international news; reflecting Indigenous peoples and promoting Indigenous cultures and languages; showcasing Canadian content to international audiences; and taking creative risks.
• In January 2021, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) concluded a public process on the renewal of CBC/Radio-Canada’s broadcasting licences. The CRTC received more than 10,000 public interventions, many of which made unsubstantiated assertions about left-wing bias in the Corporation’s news coverage. The Corporation’s licences were administratively renewed until March 2022, pending a final CRTC decision.
• Budget 2021 announced $21 million in one-time operational support for CBC/Radio-Canada to ensure its stability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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