Top Canadian Screen Bodies & Festivals Urge Government To Stay Strong On Global Streamer Contributions

Canada‘s biggest screen organizations want assurance – and quickly.

The country’s writers and directors unions, top screen bodies and several film festivals have united to form a coalition of 50 organizations urging Mark Carney‘s Liberal Party government to stand firm on streaming contributions.

An open letter released today addressed to Prime Minister Carney and Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller called for assurance that the principles Online Streaming Act would be retained after a policy change appeared to change course.

Among those adding signatures to the letter were leaders from the Calgary International Film Festival, Canadian Film Institute, Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Directors Guild of Canada, Hot Docs, Screen Composers Guild of Canada, Vancouver International Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival and the Writers Guild of Canada. Notably, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) did not sign. We’ve reached out to TIFF for comment.

This comes after plans for policy amendments announced in June suggested the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) should a “new direction” with the divisive Online Streaming Act, which has been in place since 2023.

These appear to command a sharp reduction or even completely removal of obligations on the likes of Netflix and Prime Video to spend a portion of their local revenues on local content. A pledge of an annual C$600M ($430M) for content was made at the same time.

The Canadian government has denied the changes are related to trade talks with President Donald Trump’s administration, and are instead are about reducing burdens on families. Clearly, the entertainment industry disagrees with the position, CMPA chair Kyle Irving issuing a statement in June saying, “We are concerned that the federal government has sold out Canadian culture in favour of big U.S. tech interests.”

Canada’s screen orgs today demanded government should “preserve the principle that foreign streaming services must make meaningful, predictable and enforceable contributions to Canadian programming.”

The letter said the government’s move ahead “introduced significant uncertainty into the production sector” and disputed whether the C$600M pledge was “a substitute for durable, legally enforceable contribution obligations.”

The government’s unexpected move came after the CRTC has decided to up the streamer contributions from 5% to 15% the previous months. With Trump continuing to apply his trade tariffs policies around the world, commentators and industry sources see the repealing of that as a concession to Canada’s southern neighbor.

“These contributions are not a tax or a levy,” continued the open letter. “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.”

The cost of changing course would risk the ecosystem of Canadian content, the letter warned. “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,” it read.

“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.”

For their part, global streamers insist they already spending significant amounts in Canada and do not need the burden of obligations. They have made similar arguments in Europe and Australia, but their position is disputed by most domestic production and film communities, who warn against the creep of homogenized global content.

Carney’s government is yet to respond to the open letter.

Here’s the letter in full. 

Dear Prime Minister Carney and 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.