‘There’s a lot to find fault with’: J.J. McCullough on how Canadian content quotas kill creativity

J.J. McCullough, Canadian Youtuber and political commentator, breaks down the federal government’s latest efforts and fumbles to expand TV and radio broadcast regulations into the online world. He also discusses whether it is protecting or killing Canadian creativity. You can listen to this episode on Amazon, Apple, and Spotify. Program Summary This is an automated summary. Please check against delivery. Canadian YouTuber and political commentator JJ McCullough has offered a critique of Canada’s Bill C-11 implementation, describing the legislation as an industrial policy disguised as cultural protection that will primarily benefit established media companies while annoying Canadian consumers. McCullough shared his analysis following the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s recent clarification of how Canadian content criteria will be evaluated under the new regulatory framework. The bill, originally introduced as Bill C-10 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and passed in 2023, expands the CRTC’s jurisdiction from traditional radio and television to include internet streaming platforms. The commentator, who testified before both Parliament and the CRTC during the legislative process, characterized the implementation as revealing how modern legislation actually becomes law in Canada. He noted that bills are often broadly written and primarily grant new powers to executive branch administrative agencies, which then spend years working out the practical details. In this case, the CRTC has been determining how to apply the government’s vision of increased Canadian content consumption to the complexities of the modern internet. According to McCullough, the CRTC’s new ruling consists of dozens of pages of technical bureaucratic language that essentially applies decades-old Canadian content evaluation criteria to the streaming space with only minor modifications. The points-based system that has long been used to evaluate the “Canadianness” of television shows, radio programs, and movies will now extend to online platforms with minimal innovation or adaptation to the digital environment. McCullough argued that this approach demonstrates the CRTC primarily sees its obligation as serving established players in the Canadian media industry who are already familiar with navigating the regulatory framework. These traditional media companies, including major television networks and production studios, feel threatened by streaming platforms and sought regulatory protection after failing to compete in both the free market television system and the streaming space against services like Disney Plus and Netflix. There is relief that user-generated content platforms like YouTube are not under significant scrutiny, which alleviates some of his initial concerns from four years ago. However, McCullough warned that Canadian consumers will face negative consequences as the annoying aspects of Canadian television, including forced mandates of mediocre Canadian programming that is difficult to escape, will now extend to streaming platforms operating in Canada. McCullough characterized the policy as fundamentally an industrial subsidy program rather than a genuine cultural initiative. He explained that the CRTC understands itself as a helping hand for certain established players in the Canadian media industry, including content production studios, actors, directors, and technical crew members. The regulatory body exists to subsidize and prop up these careers in a market that does not necessarily have strong demand for their offerings.