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The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister Carney, Dear Minister Miller,
We are writing as a united group of Canadian screen sector organizations in response to the Department of Canadian Heritage announcement on June 3, 2026, regarding new policy directions to the CRTC and measures to support Canadian culture and recent correspondence between the Attorney General of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal signaling the government’s intention to replace base contribution requirements with direct government investments.
While we recognize the government's stated commitment to Canadian storytelling, the June 3 announcement has introduced significant uncertainty into the production sector. The government's $600 million per year pledge, though appreciated and welcome, is not a substitute for durable, legally enforceable contribution obligations. Discretionary funding is subject to budget and external political pressures; a regulated contribution framework is not. Against that backdrop, the government’s indication that online streamers will still be required to reinvest a portion of their revenues in Canadian and Indigenous content is welcome, but it underscores the need to maintain clear and meaningful contribution requirements.
The purpose of this letter is to urge the government to ensure that new policy directions preserve the principle that foreign streaming services must make meaningful, predictable and enforceable contributions to Canadian programming.
The fifteen per cent (15%) Canadian programming expenditure requirement established by the CRTC in its May 21, 2026 Phase 2 policy decision remains an appropriate benchmark for the resulting regulatory framework and should not be diminished through the replacement of the base contribution mechanism. Maintaining this threshold is fair and proportionate. Alongside sustained government funding, it is essential that a meaningful contribution requirement continue in order to support the long-term stability of the Canadian production sector – from coast to coast to coast.
A fifteen per cent contribution requirement ensures that foreign online streaming services are included within a modernized framework for the Canadian broadcasting system. The Commission’s decision also provided new contribution requirements for large Canadian broadcasting groups. The respective contribution levels are representative of the distinct roles of Canadian broadcasters and foreign online streaming services within a single system and ensure that both will contribute in an appropriate manner to the creation and presentation of Canadian programming.
These contributions are not a tax or a levy. They are investments in the acquisition and production of globally exploitable assets for foreign streaming services, showcasing Canadian stories and talent while strengthening the domestic production ecosystem. Foreign streaming services are well positioned to monetize these assets and have every incentive to do so. In fact, this is the preferred distribution model for global streamers in other countries that have successfully introduced domestic programming contribution requirements.
If Canada does not require that a meaningful share of these contributions be directed to the production and promotion of original Canadian programming in both official languages, in culturally significant genres, we risk weakening Canada’s position as a cultural exporter and diminishing both the domestic and global reach of Canadian stories. Instead of building and sharing our own stories with the world, we would be left watching from the sidelines as foreign content increasingly defines what Canadians see on their screens. At a time when Canada is reaffirming its economic and cultural sovereignty, ensuring that those who benefit from the Canadian market also contribute to Canadian storytelling is not only reasonable but necessary.
Canada’s screen sector is aligned in its view that a predictable, balanced regulatory framework is vital to supporting hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs, attracting private investment, and sustaining industries that generate billions of dollars in economic activity across every region of Canada.
Like you, the undersigned wish to ensure that new public investments and industry contributions are aligned to maximize benefits for Canadian creators and performers, audiences, and the broader economy. Doing so will provide the certainty needed to continue building a vibrant Canadian screen sector for generations to come.
Sincerely, the undersigned.
Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA)
Kelly Fox, Executive Director
Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC)
Carol Ann Pilon, Directrice générale
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)
Marie Kelly, National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator
Anchor Motion Picture Alliance
Jenna MacMillan , Executive Director
Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ)
Mylène Cyr, Directrice générale
Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople, Local 2020 Unifor
Daryl Litke, Business Manager
Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM)
Helene Messier, Présidente-directrice
Atlantic International Film Festival
Martha Cooley, Executive Director
BIPOC TV & Film
Nathalie Younglai, Founder
Black Screen Office (BSO)
Joan Jenkinson, Chief Executive Officer,
Co-Founder
Black Screen Office Fund (BSOF)
Joan Jenkinson, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder
Broadcasting Accessibility Fund (BAF)
Richard Cavanagh, CEO/Funding Officer
Calgary International Film Festival
Katherine Penhale, Executive Director
Canadian Film Fest
Bern Euler, Founder, Executive Director
The Canadian Film Institute
Tom McSorley, Executive Director
Canadian Independent Screen Fund
Lalita Krishna, Board Chairperson
Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO
Coalition MÉDIA
Marina Mathieu, Directrice générale
Community Radio Fund of Canada
Alex Freedman, Executive Director
Directors Guild of Canada (DGC)
Alistair Hepburn, National Executive Director
Disability Screen Office (DSO)
Winnie Luk, Executive Director
Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC)
Julian Carrington, Executive Director
Fascinasian Film Festival
Alan Wong, President
Festival du nouveau cinéma
Zoé Protat, Co-Executive Director and Artistic Director
Ariane Bélanger, Co-Executive Director and Administrative Director
Friends of Canadian Media
Raj Shoan, Executive Director
Future of Film Showcase
Eric Bizzarri, Co-Founder and CEO
Gimli Film Festival
Teya Zuzek, Executive Director
Hot Docs
Diana Sanchez, Executive Director
IMPACT
Samantha Kaine, CEO
L'Union des artistes (UDA)
Alexandre Curzi, Directeur général
Media NB
Steve Foster, President
Meridian Artists
Glenn Cockburn, President
NABET Unifor 700M
Jayson Mosek, Business Agent
Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE)
Sonya Yokota William, Founder and Director
On Screen Manitoba
Lindsay Somers, Executive Director
Quebec English Language Production Council (QEPC)
Kirwan Cox, Executive Director & Head of Policy
Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC)
Tamara Mariam Dawit, Board Member
Gavin Seal, Board Member
Racial Equity Screen Office
Barbara Lee, Founder & Board Chair
Reel Asian International Film Festival
Deanna Wong, Executive Director
Reel Canada
Jack Blum, Executive Director
Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC)
John Rowley, President
Screen Nova Scotia
Laura Mackenzie, Executive Director
ScreenSask
Robert Hardy, Executive Director
Société des auteur.e.trice.s de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC)
Laurent Dubois, Directeur général
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival
Jenn Brown, Executive Director
UNIFOR
Lana Payne, President
Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)
Kyle Fostner, Executive Director
Whistler Film Festival
Josh Epstein, Executive Director
Writers Guild of Canada (WGC)
Victoria Shen, Executive Director
Youth Media Alliance
France A. Martin, Executive Director
