The world of Canadian broadcasting has shifted. American Media Giants like Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Apple have been allowed to enter our broadcasting eco system, undermining Canadian broadcasters, while contributing nothing. C-11 is much needed legislation bringing the Broadcasting Act into the 21st century. Foreign streamers will be included in our broadcasting eco-system, while leaving user-content out of the equation. This is not simply a shift in a business model, or disruption that is diminishing domestic players, it is a long-time failure of regulators to keep up with the times and adjust.

Now, it is almost too late. Netflix and the rest dominate the Canadian multimedia landscape, while Canadian content funding is waning and local news is on life support. News deserts are growing. No news is bad news and broadcast news needs your help. We need to amend C-11 to ensure that the CRTC create a fund, like the former LPIF (Local programming improvement fund) to support local news. This fund would be funded partially from BDUs, as in the past, but also a portion of any new money entering the system through C-11 should be allocated to local news.

We thank this government for seeing the need to update the Broadcasting Act. It is much needed and comes at an important time. We ask you to make one small amendment to fight back against the storm of miss-information and lack of information and make this a good news story. Ensure C-11 passes and include a much needed amendment to ensure the continued support for local news in this country. Amend

section 11.1(1) as follows: The Commission may make regulations respecting expenditures to be made by persons carrying on broadcasting undertakings for the purposes of … (

d) developing, financing, producing or promoting local news and information programming, including through contributions made by distribution undertakings either to a related programming undertaking or by distribution undertakings or online undertakings to an independent fund. In making regulations for the distribution of these contributions, the Commission shall take into account the local presence and broadcast staffing of the programming undertaking.