Broadcast Act update needs to do more for BIPOC: REMC

People of colour have long been underrepresented on Canadian airwaves, and the government's proposed update to the Broadcasting Act, known as Bill C-10, is a "chance to heal these wounds," according to testimony at the House of Commons Heritage Committee Monday. According to Sherien Barsoum and Amar Wala, co-founders of the Racial Equity Media Collective, while the government's proposed legislation is a step in the right direction toward diversifying Canada's broadcasting sector, it could be further strengthened. "The act names racialized communities in several instances, highlighting that our voices must be reflected in our broadcast landscape. We must point out, however, that while these words are welcome, similar language has existed in the broadcasting act for over 30 years," Wala told the committee, which is undertaking a study of the proposed legislation. Language in the current 30-year-old version of the act, Wala said, "has been insufficient, and led to little measurable change. The REMC believes that the current language in the new bill, while improved, must go further." The REMC representatives made three recommendations they said will strengthen the bill's intention. First, the organization called for the mandatory collection of race-based data by broadcasters and funding bodies. "Over the last year, the REMC has consulted with every major Canadian funder and broadcaster, asking: who receives funding? Who is commissioned? Who owns the of production? And the answer across the board has been, ‘We don't know,'" Barsoum told the committee. Data, she said, will create a more accurate picture of where the problems of representation lie, and how much progress is being made. Second, the REMC called for the bill to "clearly prioritize racialized communities in its programming objectives," Wala said. "The governor-in-council directives to the CRTC should include clear targets and incentives that are linked to the condition of licence. The specific requirements of these benchmarks must be developed in meaningful consultation with BIPOC communities," Wala said, using the acronym for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour. Third, the REMC said the bill should include provisions for equity oversight by officials charged with the task at both the CRTC and the Heritage Ministry. Such positions, Barsoum told MPs, will ensure that race-based data collection will be put to the proper use. "The REMC knows well the power of data, but we also know that data is only a tool. In order for that data to truly make a difference, we need senior officers to make sure that the equity objectives of this bill are being met," she said, adding that dedicated equity officers will ensure that data is "secure and safely managed." The bill, one of several high-profile initiatives from Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, aims to bring streaming giants under the Canadian content and spending regulations. “Once the bill is approved, we will be issuing a directive to the CRTC, an order-in-council, and we will be asking them to hold hearings and to do everything in a matter of roughly nine months,” he said in November. — Reporting by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca and editing by Kate Malloy at kmalloy@hilltimes.com

Broadcast Act update needs to do more for BIPOC: REMC

Broadcast | February 22, 2021

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Broadcast Act update needs to do more for BIPOC: REMC

Broadcast | February 22, 2021

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