Broadcasting Canadian Content

Problematizing the Efficacy of CanCon Laws

Abstract

Canada’s federal Broadcasting Act aims to ensure that Canadian Content (CanCon), is broadcasted. This content, ranging from television and radio broadcasts to music, is meant to ostensibly reflect the day-to-day world in which Canadians live. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which reports to the Canadian Parliament and deals with national broadcasting and telecommunications, created frameworks like the MAPL System for music broadcasting to determine what content counts as “Canadian.” Although these laws are ostensibly in place for the betterment of Canadian artists and their works, this paper details the small scope to which these laws apply. This paper demonstrates CanCon’s limited efficacy in supporting Canadian artists due to the high quota broadcasters must fulfill. I further argue that the MAPL system should be revised for flexibility to allow Canadian identity to thrive within an oversaturated Anglo-American market. While complaints and potential solutions have been raised in various public forums, they have resulted in little action. This paper sheds light on the negative impact of quotas in creative music spaces and the importance of dialoguing and re-evaluating existing requirements to ensure a thriving music landscape. Ultimately, I argue Canadian artists are left at a disadvantage due to these constricting regulations. The perspective needs to change from viewing CanCon as a restriction for artists to regarding it as a framework broadcasters must follow. The language of each institutional mandate should also change to reflect the broadcasting landscape that currently exists.