CCA Bulletin 10/11 - An alliterated update: CRTC, C-470 and CETA

Just the Facts

CRTC - On March 7, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved BCE’s acquisition of CTVglobemedia (CTVgm) and laid out the benefits package and conditions linked to its approval. In its submission to the consultation on the sale of CTVgm to BCE, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) had 1) asked for a robust public benefits package for Canadians commensurate with the magnitude of the transaction; 2) raised concerns about the vertical integration of the Canadian broadcasting and multi-platform distribution companies which puts the latter in the driver’s seat. 

Bill C-470 (charitable status) is heading for second reading in the Senate today. It may reach Royal Assent before the writ drops… if an election is called at all! 

CETA negotiations are progressing but at a slower pace. The next round is set to take place in Ottawa on April 11. (more)

CCA Bulletin 32/10 - Of this and that and other things: A pre-holiday wrap-up (Part 2)

This will most likely be our last bulletin of the year, but before we wish you all the best for the New Year, we must finish our year-end wrap-up of a number of important issues:

• An update on the 2010-11 federal budget
• An update on the Canada/European Union negotiations
• The latest on the long-form census
• Culture Days 2010 revisited

Federal Budget 2010-11: the CBC does not fare as well as initially thought!

The government released the second set of supplementary estimates for the 2010-11 fiscal year (The CCA reported on the first set, supplementary estimates A, in its 2010 Federal Budget Analysis).

One of the findings to emerge from the CCA’s analysis of this most recent set of supplementary estimates pertains to the source of some new funding. Budget 2010 announced that organizations would be expected to undertake ‘cost containment measures’ to reduce the pace of growth of operating expenditures. That means that only some of the new funding to organizations in the supplementary estimates is truly ‘new’. A portion of the funding is sourced by the organizations themselves from cuts taken internally. (more)