CRTC updates definition of ‘Canadian content,’ excludes AI

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has updated its definition of what constitutes “Canadian content,” also known as “CanCon.” This comes after more than 2,000 Canadians provided feedback regarding the CanCon definition.

As part of the changes, the CRTC will now use a point system in which works must earn at least 60 percent of the points awarded. This system recognizes works in which “Canadians have key creative roles and requires production and post-production costs in Canada” – for example, something like Famous Canadian director Matt Johnson Blackberry movie.

The focus will now be on a “wider range of creative roles” in Canadian productions, including positions such as showrunners, costume design heads, makeup and hair artists, as well as visual effects directors and special effects directors. This is in addition to existing recognition for roles such as directors, writers and leading performers.

The agency adds that the Canadian partner must own at least a 20 percent share of production between foreign streamers and Canadian companies, and a “higher proportion of key creative positions” are filled by Canadians. The CRTC says it has simplified reporting requirements for certified products to “reduce the regulatory burden on the industry.”

And yet, the CRTC explicitly states that “key” creative positions such as director and screenwriter must be filled by real people, not AI, to qualify. However, specifically mentioning “key” roles would presumably allow AI to fill smaller positions in productions. (This how many AI scum are there And amount of entertainment talent across CanadaLet's hope the productions use real people throughout.)

There has been debate for years about what constitutes “CanCon”. Although many films and TV series are filmed in Canada, many are produced by foreign companies. In addition, some foreign publications have a strong presence of Canadians and/or Canadian themes. such as Blushes from Disneywhich companies often advertise as supporting “CanCon” instead of actually producing such content. Therefore, the CRTC's new definition is intended to provide a more specific description of what constitutes CanCon.

However, the CRTC's updated definition of CanCon has also drawn some criticism. OpenMedia Digital Rights Group published a statement declaring that the latest ruling “does not reflect Canada”, introducing a bonus point for articles with Canadian themes. However, this will only be awarded to content set in Canada and featuring an entirely Canadian or Indigenous cast. OpenMedia argues that this is a strong definition of what constitutes “Canadian history” because “every Canadian's life is deeply intertwined” with people from other countries.

“During this consultation, Canadians told the CRTC that we want stories that represent our lives as they truly are to be recognized as Canadian. Today's decision does the exact opposite: by limiting the recognition of stories in such narrow terms, it encourages the telling of narrow, nostalgic and fundamentally unrealistic stories about what Canada is and the lives we live in it,” OpenMedia says.

It is unclear whether the CRTC will collect additional feedback like this to inform any future updates. The organization currently notes that this is the first of two decisions resulting from its consultations on Canadian audiovisual content. The second decision will focus on Canadian programs such as news and will be published “in the near future.”

Image credit: Elevation Pictures

Source: CRTC