Quebecor to CRTC: Local Media Is Collapsing While You Consult

Quebecor is warning the federal broadcast regulator that Canada’s media system is in serious trouble—and it’s calling out the CRTC for not acting fast enough to fix it.

At ‘The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system’ hearing on June 19 in Gatineau, Quebec (hearings started yesterday), Quebecor vice-president Peggy Tabet told CRTC commissioners that traditional broadcasters are being pushed to the brink, while global streaming giants like Netflix and YouTube operate in Canada with minimal oversight.

She said the financial situation for Canadian companies like TVA is getting worse by the week. Since 2023, Groupe TVA has cut more than 680 jobs and lost over $140 million. Its cable company, Vidéotron, has also seen TV revenues fall by $185 million—a 20 percent drop—and its operating margin is now just one percent.

Tabet said the CRTC’s response so far has been too slow and too weak. Rather than quickly stepping in to ease the regulatory burden on local companies, the regulator has launched more consultations and introduced what Quebecor calls “minimal” obligations for foreign platforms.

These obligations are already being challenged in court, further delaying any impact. Quebecor says that two years after the Broadcasting Act was updated to reflect the digital age, nothing has improved—in fact, things have gotten worse.

Quebecor is the parent company of wireless companies Freedom Mobile, Videotron and Fizz. Its main broadcasting arm is Groupe TVA, which includes TVA Network, LCN, AddikTV, Moi et Cie, Casa, Yoopa and other specialty channels.

The company is asking the CRTC to get rid of outdated rules that only apply to Canadian companies, and give local players more flexibility to compete. Tabet said cable providers need fewer restrictions on how they bundle and price channels. She also said it’s time to eliminate the wholesale code and other legacy rules that don’t reflect today’s market, where streaming platforms don’t follow the same playbook.

Quebecor is also asking for faster and fairer processes to resolve disputes between media companies. It wants the CRTC to rely more on mediation and arbitration, and to update how it evaluates what a channel is worth. Quebecor said some companies abuse the current “status quo” rule to stay on cable lineups longer than they should. It wants that rule limited to 90 days and only allowed in specific cases, like when a contract is being renegotiated or a complaint has been filed.

In a more pointed ask, Quebecor said it’s time to get rid of the CRTC’s media ownership policy that prevents it from operating a radio station in Montreal or Quebec City. That rule was meant to limit concentration of media ownership, but Quebecor says it no longer makes sense when competitors have abandoned print and gone fully digital.

Tabet called the rule discriminatory, arguing that the real threat to media diversity today isn’t consolidation—it’s the shutdown of local outlets due to lack of funding.

In her closing remarks, Tabet said Canadian media companies are being held back by an unfair system. She called on the CRTC to finally level the playing field so Canadian broadcasters and cable companies can adapt, survive, and compete with online platforms that continue to grow with little to no regulation.