Mandate Letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage – Key messages and Facts (Unique Commitments)
Support for artists and the cultural sector – Pandemic
Support artists and the cultural sector to recover from the impacts of the pandemic
Messages:
Our government recognizes that the live performing arts sector remains disproportionately and negatively affected by the pandemic. We are standing by the artists and other workers in this sector through these challenging times.
Facts:
Canadian Heritage is investing $60 million in a new temporary Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund in 2022–23. We will work with recipient organizations to ensure that these funds benefit as many affected workers as possible.
Support Canadian authors and book publishers
Support Canadian authors and book publishers by increasing funding for the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Public Lending Right Program
Messages:
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Canadian authors and book publishers by increasing funding for the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Public Lending Right Program.
Facts:
The Canada Book Fund provides approximately $36,6M directly to some 300 Canadian book publishers and industry organizations each year. In addition, in 2021-22, $6 million is allocated to the Canada Book Fund to support the production and distribution of accessible digital books, and $500,000 to support the export of Canadian books. In Budget 2021, the government announced its intention to allocate an additional $32.1 million over two years to help bookstores increase online sales. The budget also included $11.4 million over two years in recovery funding to support publishers and to increase promotion and access to Canadian books in underserved communities.
Broadcasting
Reintroduce legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act to ensure foreign web giants contribute to the creation and promotion of Canadian stories and music
Messages:
The Broadcasting Act needs a reform to reflect today’s digital reality. Equally important is providing greater support for original French-language programming and assuring a place for Indigenous peoples. The broadcasting system must be more inclusive of persons with disabilities, ethno-cultural groups, racialized communities, LGBTQ2+ communities and women. Finally, fairness is critical: Canadian broadcasters and streaming services should play by the same rules.
Facts:
On February 2, 2022, the Government reintroduced legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act to ensure Canada’s laws reflect our evolving digital world. The Online Streaming Act, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts (Bill C-11) is substantially the same as the previous bill as adopted by the House of Commons in June 2021, except for targeted amendments to recalibrate the approach to social media and to correct drafting errors.
Regulations for social media platforms
Swiftly introduce legislation to require digital platforms that generate revenues from the publication of news content to share a portion of their revenues with Canadian news outlets to level the playing field between global platforms and Canadian outlets. This legislation should be modelled on the Australian approach and introduced in early 2022.
Messages:
A healthy news sector is central to democracy. The health of the Canadian news and information ecosystem is at risk, as many news media businesses have experienced substantial economic decline over the last decade. Digital platforms derive significant profits by playing a gatekeeper role in what information Canadians access online.
Facts:
The Government will soon table a made-in-Canada approach, taking Australia’s experience into account, to ensure the revenue of digital platforms is shared more fairly with Canadian media.
CBC/Radio-Canada
Update CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of Canadian audiences, with unique programming that distinguishes it from private broadcasters; Reaffirm its role as public broadcaster in protecting and promoting the French language and francophone cultures in Quebec and across the country; Increase the production of national, regional and local news; Strengthen Radio Canada International, so that it can continue to advocate for peace, democracy and universal values on the world stage; Ensure that Indigenous voices and cultures are present on our screens and radios; Bringing Canada’s television and film productions to the world stage; and Provide additional funding to make it less reliant on private advertising, with a goal of eliminating advertising during news and other public affairs shows.
Messages:
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.
Facts:
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.
Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund
Increase funding to Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund to support Canadian feature films and television productions. Increase the proportion of funding for French audiovisual content at Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund from 33 per cent to 40 per cent to increase the presence of French-language productions
Telefilm Canada
Messages:
Increasing investments in Telefilm Canada’s funding will help the organization modernize its current suite of programs to provide better access to a diverse range of creators and producers, support green practices, and respond to the needs of an evolving audiovisual industry.
Facts:
In Budget 2021, the Federal Government provided $105 million over three years, starting in 2021-2022, for Telefilm Canada to modernize its current suite of programs to provide better access to a diverse range of creators and producers, support green practices, and respond to increasing digitization in the audiovisual industry. Funding is to be increased over the three years, with $20 million in 2021-2022, $35 million in 2022-2023 and $50 million in 2023-2024. The government also invested $29.5 million in additional funding over five years in Telefilm since Budget 2016, to support export and international promotion.
Canada Media Fund
Messages:
The audiovisual sector is essential to telling Canadian stories and is a major driver of the economy. We are committed to increasing support to Canadian television productions via the Canada Media Fund, including French-language productions.
Facts:
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is the largest fund for television and digital content production in Canada. In 2020-21, it provided approximately $347.3 million to finance the development, production, marketing and export of 1,309 television and digital media projects. This investment in turn triggered about $1.5 billion in activity in Canada’s economy. In 2021-22, the CMF plans to invest $364 million. The Government of Canada allocates $134.1 million annually to the CMF on an ongoing basis. It will supplement this by an additional $29.7 million this year to stabilize the CMF’s funding because of declining private sector contributions.
Canadian audiovisual industry
Modernize the institutions and funding tools that support Canada’s audiovisual sector, including video games, to make funding platform-agnostic and open to more traditionally under-represented storytellers, while promoting Canadian productions and ensuring that Canadians are better equipped to own, and benefit from, the content that they produce
Messages:
The audiovisual industry in Canada is an important source of economic activity and employment for Canadians across the country
Facts:
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is the largest fund for television and digital content production in Canada. The CMF delivers financial support mainly through three funding streams: The Convergent Stream (2021-22: $296.1 million) encourages the creation of convergent television and associated digital media content such as games, interactive Web content, on-demand content, podcasts, webisodes and mobisodes. Supported content must appear on at least two platforms. Genres funded are drama, documentary, children’s and youth, variety and performing arts. The Experimental Stream (2021-22: $43.9 million) is project-based funding that supports the creation of leading edge interactive digital content and software applications created exclusively for the Internet, wireless, or other new/emerging platforms. The Sector Development Stream (2021-22: $3.9 million) supports projects that are primarily for the benefit of the sector. It also aims to support efforts that provide opportunities for industry-related training, development, mentorship, promotion, or other similar activities.
Canada Music Fund
Increase annual contributions to the Canada Music Fund to ensure better and more stable funding for the music sector
Messages:
The Canada Music Fund (CMF) aims to foster an environment where a diversity of Canadian music artists connect with audiences everywhere, providing the essential up-front support needed to develop Canadian artists and sharing the financial risk with Canadian-owned music entrepreneurs.
Facts:
Budget 2021 announced $70 million in funding over three years, starting in 2021-2022, to Canadian Heritage (PCH) for the Canada Music Fund (CMF) to help Canadian musicians, concert venues, producers, and distributors. This amount includes up to $50 million to help the live music sector weather the pandemic. The remaining $20 million is a two-year extension of increased funding to support the continued modernization of the CMF aimed at creating winning conditions for Canadian artists to be competitive in Canada and abroad, and connecting Canadian artists with audiences.
Indigenous Screen Office
Provide the Indigenous Screen Office with additional ongoing funding so more Indigenous stories can be told and seen
Messages:
Established in 2017, the mission of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) is to support the development, production and marketing of Indigenous content, thereby contributing to the authentic representation of Indigenous Canadian peoples on screen. The ISO plays a vital role in advancing Indigenous narrative sovereignty and the promotion and revitalization of Indigenous languages and cultures.
Facts:
Budget 2021 provided $40.1 million to support the Indigenous Screen Office so Indigenous peoples can tell their own stories and see themselves reflected on-screen.
Indigenous Issues
To honour residential school Survivors and all the children who were taken from their families and communities, work with Indigenous leadership, Survivors, families, communities and experts on the planning, design and construction of a national monument in Ottawa
Messages:
To address the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation, the Government committed to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including Call to Action 81, which calls for the creation of a Residential Schools National Monument in Ottawa to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
Facts:
In August 2021, the federal government announced $20 million to build this monument. Planning work has already begun.
Work with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act continues to be fully implemented and is supported by long-term, predictable and sustainable funding in order to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada.
Messages:
The Government has committed to fully implementing the Indigenous Languages Act in collaboration with Indigenous peoples in order to support their efforts to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages in Canada, with long-term predictable and sustainable funding.
Facts:
Since Budget 2019, Canada has provided historic investments of $608.7 million and $117.7 million in ongoing funding to support the ongoing community-based efforts of Indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages.
French language communities in Canada
Continue to contribute to the funding of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Quebec and across the country, while also supporting other important celebrations for French language communities in Canada
Messages:
The Government is making daily progress to implement many recovery and reopening support measures for the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors.
Facts:
Budget 2021 includes a $200 million fund to support local festivals, community cultural events, outdoor theatre performances, heritage celebrations, local museums, amateur sport events, and more.
Court Challenges Program
Increase the funding for the Court Challenges Program, which supports Canadians in legal cases of national significance that clarify official language rights and human rights
Messages:
The objective of the Court Challenges Program is to provide individuals and groups in Canada with financial support to bring cases of national significance related to certain constitutional and quasi-constitutional official language rights and human rights before the courts. The Court Challenges Program plays an important role. It contributes to the clarification of fundamental rights and ensures that all Canadians can benefit from rights protections.
Facts:
The Court Challenges Program receives $5 million in annual funding and is administered by the University of Ottawa. Funding decisions are made by two independent Expert Panels to ensure that the program is administered in a transparent and accountable manner.
Copyright Act
Work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry to amend the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators and copyright holders, including to allow resale rights for artists.
Messages:
Canada’s copyright framework must continue to adapt to the digital age to support the changing needs of creators, rights holders and Canadians more broadly. The goal is a healthy copyright marketplace in which creators and rights holders reap the full rewards of their work, and where Canadians have access to a variety of content. With that in mind, the Government has committed to amend the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators and copyright holders.
Facts:
The Government is currently reviewing submissions from the 2021 public consultations. Work continues to identify the best way to implement Canada’s CUSMA copyright term commitment to extend the general term of copyright protection to 70 years (after the life of the author).
Racialized artists and journalists
Support productions led by people from equity-deserving groups in the Canadian audiovisual industry
Messages:
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Department have recently worked to implement a number of program changes to better align the CMF’s programming with today’s realities, including: Implementing an Equity and Inclusion Strategy to support equity-deserving communities within the audiovisual sector (e.g., Indigenous, Black, and racialized people, women, people with disabilities, etc.).
Facts:
All Canadians deserve to see themselves reflected on our screens, which is why Budget 2021 provided $60 million over three years to the Canada Media Fund for equity-deserving creators and to support greater diversity in Canadian productions.
Invest in the Local Journalism Initiative to support the production of news in underserved communities
Messages:
Our Government remains committed to supporting the long-term vitality of the Canadian news media ecosystem.Develop a new Changing Narratives Fund to provide diverse communities with the tools to tell their own stories and to promote diverse voices in arts, culture and media. Funding reserved for equity seeking communities is directly in line with the government’s mandates to address deep systemic inequalities and to give racialized communities more tools to succeed.
Facts:
The Government's implementation of the Local Journalism Initiative to support the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of Canada's underserved communities has resulted in the hiring, or maintaining levels, in employment of 435 journalists in 2020-21. Collectively they offered journalistic coverage to 1,943 underserved communities, including 59 indigenous, 69 ethnocultural, 122 official language minority and 1 LGBTQ2+.
Develop a new Changing Narratives Fund to provide diverse communities with the tools to tell their own stories and to promote diverse voices in arts, culture and media.
Messages:
The audiovisual sector is essential to telling Canadian stories and is a major driver of the economy. We are committed to increasing support to Canadian television productions via the Canada Media Fund, including French-language productions.
Facts:
All Canadians deserve to see themselves reflected on our screens, which is why Budget 2021 provided $60 million over three years to the Canada Media Fund for equity-deserving creators and to support greater diversity in Canadian productions.
Online Hate
Continue efforts with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to develop and introduce legislation as soon as possible to combat serious forms of harmful online content to protect Canadians and hold social media platforms and other online services accountable for the content they host. This legislation should be reflective of the feedback received during the recent consultations.
Messages:
Our Government is committed to putting in place a more equitable regulatory framework to govern online platforms in Canada. They must do their part to fight harmful content online. Our goal is to promote a safer and more inclusive online environment so all Canadians can express themselves without being subject to hateful or threatening attacks.
Facts:
Over the summer, we opened up the conversation on how to best tackle this content by publishing a proposal for public comment. We are analyzing what Canadians had to say about our proposed approach and will reflect the feedback we received in future legislation.
Canadian cultural industries abroad
Support the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development to help Canadian cultural industries succeed at home and abroad by issuing a mandate to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Export Development Canada (EDC) to support the growth of creative industries in existing and new markets
Messages:
The Department of Canadian Heritage, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and Export Development Canada, are working in close collaboration to determine how best to enhance their existing support for Canadian companies in the creative industries going forward. This collaboration will be complementary to the existing Creative Export Strategy, delivered by Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada, which provides export support to Canada’s creative industries so that they may be successful in achieving their international business objectives.
Facts:
The creative industries are a key sector of Canada’s economy. In 2019, the creative industries accounted for $57.1 billion in GDP (2.7% of Canada’s overall GDP), nearly 673,000 jobs, and were economically important for countless regional communities across the country. Exports are essential to the continued growth of Canada’s creative industries, accounting for one third of Canada’s culture GDP at a value of $18.7 billion in 2019. Exports will also be essential for the post-pandemic recovery of the sector, which was one of the hardest-hit sectors due to travel and in-person gathering restrictions.
Cultural Diplomacy
Work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to launch a new cultural diplomacy strategy and ensure Canadian artists realize benefits from this initiative
Messages:
Canadian artists and creators maintain and strengthen Canada’s international cultural networks with global programming and outreach, with the support of Canadian Heritage. As such, they play a vital role in fostering relationships that promote Canadian values and interests around the world.
Facts:
The Government of Canada currently funds cultural diplomacy activities through the Mission Cultural Fund under the Creative Export Strategy (CES). The Fund, which receives $1.75 million annually, is used to support cultural diplomacy initiatives that highlight and promote Canadian artists and arts organizations abroad. The CES was launched in 2018 with an investment of $125 million over five years and is led by Canadian Heritage (PCH) in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The main objective of the CES is to help Canadian creators to maximize their export potential and stand out in the global market.
UNESCO
Working with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, take steps to build an international coalition to develop a new UNESCO convention on the diversity of content online
Messages:
Citizens’ access and exposure to diverse online content contributes to a healthy democracy. Because the Internet crosses all borders, it is necessary to work with a range of international partners to develop solutions to the challenges that online platforms bring, despite their significant benefits to our society and economy.
Facts:
Canada continues to build a Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on the Diversity of Content Online with like-minded countries, civil society, and the private sector. In June 2021, the Working Group endorsed and published international Guiding Principles to help foster greater exposure to diverse cultural content, information and news online.
