Is your favourite show CanCon enough? Here's why the definition of Canadian content may get a reboot

What's your favourite spot of CanCon?

Maybe Schitt's Creek, which aired connected CBC but besides streamed connected Netflix, comes to mind. Perhaps immoderate iteration of Anne of Green Gables. Or possibly a classical David Cronenberg flick similar Dead Ringers? These are each considered to beryllium CanCon — shorthand for Canadian content, it refers to movie and tv productions made successful Canada by Canadians.

But possibly you person a favourite amusement similar CBS's Tracker, which airs connected Global TV successful Canada. It's one of the astir watched shows connected broadcast and streaming according to the Nielsen ratings, a U.S.-based assemblage measurement system. It's filmed successful British Columbia and employs Canadians, but it's not considered CanCon.

That matters due to the fact that broadcasters successful this state person obligations to guarantee that a minimum percentage of the contented they distribute to viewers meets authorities CanCon requirements to ensure Canadian stories are available on Canadian TV screens oregon streaming devices. 

On-demand streaming changed the game, with planetary companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ dominating the market. But they haven't been held to the aforesaid CanCon standards as traditional Canadian broadcasters, and the streaming companies accidental it's not realistic to expect them to bash so.

That's not needfully thing that's connected the minds of viewers erstwhile they settle into the sofa and reach for the distant oregon the laptop. So here's what you request to cognize astir CanCon and the situation of getting Canadian eyes connected it.

I conscionable privation to ticker my shows. What do I care?

Canada's broadcasting regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), is astatine a spot of a fork successful the roadworthy erstwhile it comes to CanCon.  

The crushed determination are CanCon requirements is to guarantee that Canadian stories and points of presumption don't get drowned retired by the flood of contented flowing successful from the U.S.

"We are a tiny marketplace successful a large satellite and we beryllium adjacent to a precise experienced, prolific shaper of content," said Dave Forget, executive director of the Directors Guild of Canada. "There should beryllium immoderate support abstraction for the Canadian stories truthful that Canadians tin besides spot themselves successful their ain experience." 

In 2023, Canada's Online Streaming Act came into effect, updating broadcasting laws to see contented streaming services. 

It meant that overseas streaming companies would not lone person to beforehand oregon urge Canadian programming connected their platforms, but streamers making $25 cardinal oregon much successful Canada volition person to commencement paying 5 per cent of their home gross to enactment the accumulation of Canadian media content. 

The CRTC estimates that the levy would rise astir $200 cardinal a twelvemonth and said the backing would beryllium utilized to boost section and Indigenous broadcasting. 

But present the CRTC is besides looking into updating what it considers to beryllium Canadian content.

"Our extremity is clear: to modernize the explanation of Canadian contented to bespeak today's reality," said Vicky Eatrides, the CRTC's CEO and chairperson, during the commencement of nationalist consultations past period aimed astatine reviewing what precisely constitutes CanCon, and to find whether overseas streamers should beryllium held to the aforesaid standards arsenic accepted broadcasters successful Canada. 

The nationalist hearings successful Gatineau, Que., spanned 2 weeks and wrapped up connected May 27. 

WATCH | Breaking down the existing explanation of CanCon and however it might change:

So, however Canadian bash bid and movies person to be?  

While many south-of-the-border movies and shows whitethorn person been filmed successful Canada, with Canadian crews and talent, it's not capable to beryllium considered CanCon successful the eyes of the CRTC.

First, the movie oregon show's shaper has to beryllium Canadian. Then, there's a 10-point strategy for cardinal originative roles, and six retired of 10 points are needed to conscionable the barroom to beryllium considered CanCon. 

For example, if the manager oregon writer is Canadian, that gets you 2 points. But, betwixt the manager and the writer, astatine slightest 1 indispensable beryllium Canadian. 

That besides goes for the apical performers; 1 of the 2 leads indispensable beryllium Canadian. That counts for 1 constituent each. 

Other unit roles specified arsenic accumulation designer, manager of photography, exertion and euphony composer number for 1 constituent each. Other rules use for animated productions. 

LISTEN | Does Seth Rogen's The Studio number arsenic Canadian content?

On apical of the constituent system, Cancon rules authorities that 75 per cent of production and post-production expenses person to spell to Canadians oregon Canadian companies. 

The requirements person been loosened before. The CRTC reduced the minimum fig of points needed from 8 to six successful 2016, thing the committee said would let much films to go eligible for definite backing programs.

At past month's hearings, determination was speech of really expanding the fig of points needed to 15, arsenic good arsenic whether a request to bespeak Canadian taste elements should beryllium introduced.

WATCH | Why Canadian films struggle at the container bureau contempt planetary acclaim:

So, what bash Netflix, Disney+ and different streamers want?

Canadian broadcasters, producers — and adjacent artists — privation the overseas streaming services, chiefly the large U.S. ones galore Canadians use, to meet minimum CanCon requirements similar they bash successful bid to support broadcasting licences and suffice for subsidies. 

Anthony Shim, a manager whose credits see the critically-acclaimed 2022 autarkic movie Riceboy Sleeps, admits it's a situation to equilibrium the state of creativity with the request to support Canadian artists and storytelling — a extremity helium says should ever beryllium top of mind.

Toronto-born writer, shaper and manager Anthony Q. Farrell, who has worked connected bid including The Office, the British bid The Secret Life of Boys and CTV's Shelved, says the explanation of CanCon is much important than ever. 

"Especially successful a clip wherever we're truly focusing successful connected buying Canadian and taking attraction of our nationalist voice, I deliberation it's important that we … use our Canadian creatives to archer our stories," said Farrell, who provided recommendations astatine the CRTC consultations connected behalf of the Writers Guild of Canada.

He agrees that streaming companies "making wealth disconnected Canadians" should beryllium putting immoderate of their profits back into distinctly Canadian movie and tv production. 

The streaming companies, however, don't spot it rather the aforesaid way.  

They were collectively represented astatine the consultations by the Motion Picture Association of Canada, which argued that they're already an integral portion of Canada's movie and tv accumulation assemblage but that they shouldn't beryllium held to the aforesaid contented requirements as accepted broadcasters. 

Wendy Noss, the association's president, appeared astatine the hearings connected May 16 and said the CRTC should marque changes to its CanCon policies, including reassessing the fig of points required successful the 41-year-old CanCon points system, arsenic good arsenic re-evaluating which roles suffice for points. 

She said that earlier the CRTC imposes Canadian contented requirements connected overseas streamers, they request to "introduce meaningful flexibility successful modernizing the explanation of Canadian programs." 

"Broadcasting policies should beryllium straightforward, sustainable and flexible to alteration planetary producers to bash what they bash best: creating amusement for audiences at location and worldwide," said Noss. 

The CRTC will clasp further CanCon consultation hearings astatine a aboriginal date. 

But the large streaming companies are besides acceptable to conflict the CRTC successful tribunal implicit the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.

They filed an entreaty past year, aft the committee ordered planetary online streaming services to fork implicit 5 per cent of their home revenues to enactment the accumulation of Canadian content. 

WATCH | Why some Canadian contented creators are upset astir the Online Streaming Act: