Media of Canada

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The media of Canada is highly autonomous, uncensored, diverse, and very regionalized.[1][2] Canada has a well-developed media sector, but its cultural output—particularly in English films, television shows, and magazines—is often overshadowed by imports from the United States.[3] As a result, the preservation of a distinctly Canadian culture is supported by federal government programs, laws, and institutions such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).[4]

Canadian mass media, both print and digital, and in both official languages, is largely dominated by a "handful of corporations".[5] The largest of these corporations is the country's national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which also plays a significant role in producing domestic cultural content, operating its own radio and TV networks in both English and French.[6] In addition to the CBC, some provincial governments offer their own public educational TV broadcast services as well, such as TVOntario and Télé-Québec.[7]

The 1991 Broadcasting Act declares "the system should serve to safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the cultural, political, social, and economic fabric of Canada".[8] The promotion of multicultural media began in the late 1980s as multicultural policy was legislated in 1988.[9] In the Multiculturalism Act, the federal government proclaimed the recognition of the diversity of Canadian culture.[9] Thus, multicultural media became an integral part of Canadian media overall. Upon numerous government reports showing lack of minority representation or minority misrepresentation, the Canadian government stressed separate provision be made to allow minorities and ethnicities of Canada to have their own voice in the media.[10]

Non-news media content in Canada, including film and television, is influenced both by local creators as well as by imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and France.[11] In an effort to reduce the amount of foreign-made media, government interventions in television broadcasting can include both regulation of content and public financing.[12] Canadian tax laws limit foreign competition in magazine advertising.[13]

  1. ^ Fry, H (2017). Disruption: Change and churning in Canada's media landscape (PDF) (Report). Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "Freedom of expression and media freedom". GAC. February 17, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Vipond, Mary (2011). The Mass Media in Canada (4th ed.). James Lorimer Company. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-55277-658-2.
  4. ^ Edwardson, Ryan (2008). Canadian Content: Culture and the Quest for Nationhood. University of Toronto Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-8020-9519-0.
  5. ^ Taras, David; Bakardjieva, Maria; Pannekoek, Frits, eds. (2007). How Canadians Communicate II: Media, Globalization, and Identity. University of Calgary Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-55238-224-0. OCLC 1006639327.
  6. ^ Taras, David; Bakardjieva, Maria; Pannekoek, Frits, eds. (2007). How Canadians Communicate II: Media, Globalization, and Identity. University of Calgary Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-55238-224-0. OCLC 1006639327.
  7. ^ Globerman, Steven (1983). Cultural Regulation in Canada. Institute for Research on Public Policy. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-920380-81-9.
  8. ^ Bannerman, Sara (May 20, 2020). Canadian Communication Policy and Law. Canadian Scholars. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-77338-172-5. OCLC 1138945553.
  9. ^ a b Mansell, Robin (2011). The Handbook of Global Media and Communication Policy. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 9781444395426.
  10. ^ Attallah, Paul; Yasmin Jiwani (2006). Mediascapes : new patterns in Canadian communication (2nd ed.). Toronto: Thomson Nelson. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-17-640652-3.
  11. ^ Steven, Peter (2011). About Canada: Media. Fernwood. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-55266-447-6. OCLC 1069674192.
  12. ^ Beaty, Bart; Sullivan, Rebecca (2006). Canadian Television Today. University of Calgary Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-55238-222-6. OCLC 1024271072.
  13. ^ Krikorian, Jacqueline (2012). International Trade Law and Domestic Policy: Canada, the United States, and the WTO. UBC Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7748-2306-7. OCLC 1058136992.