Empower Ethnic Media

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Office of the Prime Minister

The Honourable Pascale St-Onge
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage


Toronto April 2, 2024


Dear Prime Minister,
Dear Minister St-Onge,

We, the undersigned, represent a group of over 40 independent ethnic and third-language television producers across the country responsible for creating programming that serves Canada's diverse third language and ethnocultural communities. We are writing to you on a matter of great urgency and request immediate funding to help stabilize our small production sector until new funding pillars are established in support of the Government’s new broadcasting objectives.

With over 30 years of experience in ethnic television production, our programming is targeted to small, underserved communities whose language of comfort is neither English nor French and helps break down systemic barriers by providing critical access to news and information programming in a multitude of languages.

The content we create not only facilitates greater engagement in Canadian society but also plays a vital role in preserving cultural traditions and social cohesion within the broader context of Canadian multiculturalism. The power and importance of our television content was never more important than during the COVID-19 lockdowns where we provided vital health information to many voiceless communities who would otherwise not have access to important information intended to protect and support their communities.

This is particularly true for seniors, many of whom still subscribe to cable, as they represent the largest portion of our audience. The content we were able to share with them in their mother tongue during the pandemic was invaluable and at times lifesaving. It is therefore crucial that the government step up to ensure that independent ethnic and third-language television producers receive regular and uninterrupted funding so that they can continue to provide their viewers with equal opportunities to access information in multiple languages.

As immigration trends reach new historic levels, the demand for third-language television content has never been greater or more important in helping new Canadians integrate and establish themselves in their new country while at the same time fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion.

Independent Ethnic and Third-Language Producers Face Critical Funding Challenges

Ethnic and Third-Language independent producers were heartened by the recent amendments to the Broadcasting Act which prioritize the importance of reflecting the diverse ethnocultural composition of Canadian society.

However, unlike English and French-language independent producers, ethnic and third-language producers do not have access to a stable, permanent, and reliable funding stream to support their productions despite being one of the most vulnerable and severely impacted segments of the broadcasting sector.

Specifically, Canada’s cultural policy tools do not support access by local independent ethnic and third-language producers to existing funding mechanisms like the Canada Media Fund (CMF), despite the critical role we play in helping to advance Canada’s broadcast policy objectives. This exclusion not only undermines our ability to sustain our productions but also perpetuates systemic inequities within the media industry. In fact, many ethnic and third language producers have reached a critical juncture where they are forced to consider the financial viability of continuing to produce programming for Canadian ethnic and third language audiences.

One exception to the existing gap in funding for ethnic and third-language programming was the Government’s temporary support for a Covid-19 Recovery Fund CMF Third-Language Allocation of 2022-2023' which provided $5 million over two years in essential support for independent producers of third-language ethnic television productions. This support was critical to the ongoing production of ethnic and third-language programming particularly as historic sources of funding, namely advertising, all but disappeared during the pandemic and unfortunately have not recovered. This financial crisis has been further compounded by Meta's decision to block Canadian news and information programming. Moreover, the Government’s recent agreement with Google as part of the Online News Act is unlikely to benefit small ethnic community media outlets, as most ethnic organizations do not employ a minimum of two full time news journalists.

Stable Funding is Needed to Support Ethnic and Third-Language Programming

The Government’s decision to end the Covid-19 Recovery Fund CMF Third-Language Allocation of 2022-2023 has had a devastating impact on ethnic and third language independent producers who are facing existential challenges in their ability to continue to serve their communities. Given the important role we play in upholding the broadcast policy objectives reflected in the amended Broadcasting Act we urge the Government to reinstate and increase funding for the sector.

We note that in its Annual Report 2022-2023, the CMF only directed $4M to its Diverse Languages Envelope none of which supports local ethnic and third language news and information programing, while $43.9M was directed to its Experimental Stream Envelope designed to non-broadcast content such as web, mobile and software applications, and videogames.

While we appreciate there are many valid recipients of CMF funding, creating a permanent funding stream for local third language and ethnic programming is critical to the ongoing viability of this segment of the production sector. For the reasons outlined above, we ask that the Government direct the CMF to allocate a minimum of $6 million of its existing funding per year to local ethnic and third language productions that support news and information programming. Such funding would not only equip independent third-language producers to navigate the changing media landscape but would also represent an important step forward in upholding Canada's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the screen industry.

By reinstating and supplementing funding previously received via The Covid-19 Recovery Fund CMF Third-Language Allocation of 2022-2023 program, the government can ensure the continued vibrancy and resilience of Canada's ethnic television industry, providing much-needed financial assistance to enable us to continue creating relevant content for our communities.

Given the pace of change in Canada’s demographics, the connecting role our programming serves in our communities has never been more important and is at serious risk without immediate access to funding. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your team to discuss the scope and urgency of the financial challenges we face and possible solutions to address them in 2024.

We thank you for the opportunity to discuss how we can work together with Government to advance our shared goals of advancing diversity and inclusion in the broadcast sector by ensuring ongoing access to important news and information programming that allows all Canadians to fully engage and participate in Canada’s political, social, economic and cultural society.

We look forward to hearing from your office at your earliest opportunity to address this serious funding crisis. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

On behalf of a group


Kiu Rezvanifar
President, the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA)

Igor Malakhov
Editorial Director, The Russian Herald of Toronto, TV vestnik.ca