Question Period Note: Implementing the Online Streaming Act

The Online Streaming Act received Royal Assent on April 27, 2023, and on November 9, 2023, the Governor in Council issued policy directions to the CRTC, to outline the Government’s priorities relating to the implementation of the new legislation. The CRTC is now undertaking consultations and implementing the legislation. Early CRTC implementation decisions have been appealed to the Federal Court of Appeals and are awaiting final rulings from the Court. On May 21, 2026, the CRTC issued two decisions regarding discoverability and support for television services of exceptional importance to the achievement of the Broadcasting Act; and regarding modernized requirements for broadcasters and streamers to spend on Canadian programming. On June 3, 2026, Minister Miller announced that the government will direct the CRTC to revisit its regulatory approach by issuing new policy directions under the Act, while the Prime Minister also committed $600 million per year to stabilize the audiovisual sector during the transition.

• The government is providing $600 million per year to Canada’s audio and audiovisual sectors to provide stability and immediate support, while keeping culture accessible and affordable for Canadians.
• The CRTC’s new regulatory requirements to implement the Online Streaming Act align with the overall broadcasting policy objectives. However, these requirements would risk imposing new costs which could be passed on to Canadian consumers.
• By recalibrating the regulatory requirements, the Government seeks to support Canadian music and stories while maintaining the affordability of subscription services for Canadians.
• The Government remains committed to international trade obligations, including CUSMA, by ensuring all broadcasters and streamers make meaningful contributions to the Canadian audiovisual system.

• The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is responsible for implementing changes that modernized Canada’s broadcasting law in 2023. The CRTC is implementing the modernized regulatory framework in three stages:
o Phase 1: Establish thresholds for inclusion in the regulatory regime, registration requirements and base conditions for online streaming services - Completed in 2024.
o Phase 2 (ongoing): Develop regulatory policies on specific subjects through public consultations - All major consultations completed in 2025.
o Many regulatory policies already issued (Base contributions; Modernized definition of Canadian content, Television and Radio news funds, closed-captioning, etc.)
o Remaining major policies expected in the first half of 2026 (audio content; remaining issues from the market dynamics and sustainability consultation;).
o Phase 3: Finalize tailored conditions of service for all broadcasters, based on regulatory policies - Consultation scheduled to start later in 2026.
• On June 4, 2024, the CRTC issued its Regulatory Policy 2024-121, which requires online streaming services that make $25 million or more in annual contributions revenues and that are not affiliated with a Canadian broadcaster to contribute 5 percent of those revenues to certain funds. The final order was issued on August 29, 2024.
• Applications for judicial review and leave to appeal were filed by Amazon, Apple, the Motion Picture Association - Canada and Spotify, challenging CRTC Regulatory Policy 2024-121. The Federal Court of Appeals heard parties in June 2025. A decision is pending.
• On November 18, 2025, the CRTC published Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2025-299, its decision on a modernized definition of audiovisual Canadian program. The new regulations would come into force on September 1, 2026, and the new definition is expected to take effect well into 2026. In the same document, the CRTC announced how it intends to publish online streamers’ financial information to inform Canadians on the state of the broadcasting system.
o The CRTC will continue to recognize all previously certified Canadian content, including certifications issued by the Canadian Audio‑Visual Certification Office (CAVCO). This decision follows a first phase of consultations on the future audiovisual framework, with stakeholder reactions mixed: some industry groups welcomed support for Canadian ownership, creators, and reduced administrative burden, while others raised concerns about flexibility weakening creative control, the 20 percent copyright ownership threshold, and challenges from foreign streamers regarding the publication of aggregated financial data.
• On May 21, 2026, the CRTC set new rules requiring traditional and online broadcasters with over $25 million in annual revenues to contribute to Canadian and Indigenous content at differentiated rates (25 percent for Canadian-owned broadcast groups, 15 percent for unaffiliated and non-Canadian online streamers), while exempting smaller players and providing greater flexibility. These measures are expected to stabilize funding at over $2 billion, supporting Canadian and Indigenous content, such as French-language content and news.
o The CRTC announced the creation of a Fund to support services of exceptional importance to the achievement of the objectives of the Broadcasting Act such as APTN, CPAC, TV5/Unis and Accessible Media’s services for Canadians living with disabilities.
o The CRTC also set new principles to improve the discoverability of Canadian and Indigenous content across platforms. It will discuss specific measures with individual broadcasting groups at the time of setting their final tailored conditions of service.
• The Motion Picture Association released a statement on May 22, 2026, that strongly criticizes the CRTC decision as discriminatory and costly, arguing it violates CUSMA, undermines market-based investment, and will deter future investment and innovation in Canada. The Canadian creative community was broadly supportive of the decision, with groups welcoming clearer obligations and support for Canadian and Indigenous creators; however, several organizations raised concerns about the elimination of targeted support for Programs of National Interest. Canadian broadcasters stated that the new programming expenditure framework continues to place a heavier financial burden on private broadcasters than on streaming services.
• On May 29, 2026, the Conservatives called on the government to overturn the CRTC’s increased streaming contribution requirements, arguing that they would raise consumer costs, discourage investment and create a trade irritant with the United States.
• On June 3, 2026, the Government announced $600 million in temporary support for the audio and audiovisual sectors and signalled new policy directions to revisit the CRTC approach to keep services affordable for Canadians. Reactions to the Government’s announcement are slowing trickling in with major stakeholders not yet having issued public statements.

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