GIC Declines to Refer CRTC Licence Renewals

Summary#

The Governor in Council has declined to send back Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2023-245 for reconsideration. That CRTC decision, made on August 8, 2023, renewed a number of television and distribution licences until August 31, 2026, and the renewal will stand.

What it does#

• It declines a written request to refer back Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2023-245 to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for a new hearing.
• The request came after the CRTC decision that administratively renewed licences for various television programming services, networks and broadcasting distribution undertakings until August 31, 2026.
• The petition (received on August 22, 2023) was from an individual, John P. Roman, who argued the CRTC should have held a public hearing under the Broadcasting Act.
• After review, the Governor in Council decided the CRTC decision does not undermine the broadcasting policy objectives in the Broadcasting Act, so it was left in place.

Who's affected#

• The main groups affected are the television programming services, networks and broadcasting distribution undertakings whose licences were renewed by Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2023-245.
• Broadcasters and distribution companies named in the CRTC decision will keep their renewed licences until August 31, 2026.
• Viewers and subscribers might notice no immediate change to which services are licensed to operate.
• The Gazette notice does not list the specific companies by name; to see who exactly is affected, you would need the full text of the CRTC decision.

Why it matters#

• For broadcasters, the decision keeps licence status and operating certainty in place for the next few years while the CRTC works on broader regulatory updates.
• For the public, it means the CRTC’s administrative renewals stand and the specific complaint about the absence of a public hearing was not enough to overturn the decision.
• The outcome shows that individual petitions can prompt review by the Governor in Council, but those reviews will only change CRTC decisions if the decision is found to conflict with the broadcasting policy objectives in the Broadcasting Act.