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It has something to do with being flooded with American content and perspectives. You see, it's been understood here for some time what kind of effect media can

It has something to do with being flooded with American content and perspectives. You see, it's been understood here for some time what kind of effect media can have on a population. This seems to be something America is just coming to terms with, regarding organizations like Sinclair. It's been Canada's struggle for some time to maintain an identity in the face of some kind of ideological imperialism. Manifest Destiny is still fresh on Canadian minds, and non-points like this implying some kind of tyranny are grossly mal-informed. Our CRTC who made that ruling is the same CRTC who is ensuring net neutrality and mandating performant broadband internet as a basic telecom service. Things the FCC just thought not worth protecting for Americans. edit: To clarify myself a bit: This is an impassioned subject for me. I think the US is a great nation—but implying something nefarious about Canadians' attempt at self-preservation, while residing next to a federation like the US, is incomprehensible.

refurb 9y ago
It's protecting the public that doesn't want to be protected. With the exception of a few Canadian shows and movies, Canadians can't get enough of US media.
- Waterluvian 9y ago
  I've never once felt like I didn't have enough access to American content or that the regulation was impeding my enjoyment of media in Canada. But I bet it has played a role in the existence of some of the great Canadian shows of the last generation.
- 9oliYQjP 9y ago
  One thing Canadians miss in the “CanCon means shitty TV” meme is that CanCon rules mean Canadian creative talent is cultivated. You don’t just become a great TV writer overnight. You write a lot of shitty TV until you get good at it. This is not unlike programming. Why do you think there are so many successful Canadians in Hollywood? A bunch got their start in productions that wouldn’t be around if not for CanCon. I mean for crying out loud, Drake, who is possibly one of the greatest cultural entrepreneurs of our time got his start on Degrassi. It’s not perfect by any means but Canadians tend to forget this aspect of the system whereby Canadian talent is cultivated, they go to the US to learn even more, then return to help educate the next generation of Canadian talent (eg Norman Jewison and the Canadian Film Centre)
  - smsm42 9y ago
    > This is not unlike programming. You mean, Canada should mandate certain percentage of software be written in Canada too, and if your site or software product doesn't run X% of Canadian software, you should not be able to use it within Canada? Great idea, sure.
    - Spooky23 9y ago
      Nations need to think about strategic interests beyond the capitalist trope that motivates most of us. It’s not in Canada’s national interest for Toronto to be a remote suburb of the US east coast. If and when relations between the two nations degrade, Canada needs to be able to continue functioning. That’s the danger of the mercurial Trump administration. The random shit that speed out of the US is making everyone question everything.
      - smsm42 9y ago
        > Nations need to think about strategic interests beyond the capitalist trope that motivates most of us. So, are you agreeing with me that it'd be good for Canadian government to require software (or at least significant part of it) be made in Canada? > If and when relations between the two nations degrade, Canada needs to be able to continue functioning. Thus, Canada should build its own Linux, its own Windows, its own Google, its own Facebook, its own Amazon and so on... Just in case they ever have bad relationships with the US, you know. And since nobody would use those while US alternatives are available, it would make sense to ban Canadians from using US equivalents - for their own good. After all, this model is being used with great success in China. > The random shit that speed out of the US is making everyone question everything. I have read this phrase five times and still have no idea what do you mean. Is it wrong to question things? Is Trump making people question things they did not question before and somehow it is bad? Is Canada being hurt because people were not daring to question things before Trump and are questioning them now, and these things can not withstand questioning? Frankly, I am a bit lost here.
        9oliYQjP 9y ago
- gozur88 9y ago
  CanCon prompted Bob and Doug McKenzie, so it's not all bad.
  - 52-6F-62 9y ago
    Underrated comment! Just want to throw it out there: anybody who hasn't seen Strange Brew should promptly do so!
junkscience2017 9y ago
in reality it means paying taxes so the CBC can make a shitty Canadian version of Law And Order that no one watches almost none of the "Canadian" content relates any national values...it is almost uniformly just garbage remakes of US shows
- DKnoll 9y ago
  Name some of these remakes of American shows, please.
  - junkscience2017 9y ago
    short of the 10pm news and taxpayer-funded hockey, there is basically nothing on the CBC that isn't utterly derivative...and most of the dramas literally air to zero viewers...just admit it, it's all awful and you don't watch it either
    - DKnoll 9y ago
      I do watch it... Letterkenny is the the best thing on TV (well, CraveTV) right now in my opinion. CBC isn't the only studio producing Canadian content either. I briefly checked your comment history... you sure have some negative things to say about Canada, huh? I'm still interested in hearing you name some of these derivative shows that apparently make up the vast majority of Canadian television.
      - 52-6F-62 9y ago
        * CraveTV is from Bell Media, just to add context. And Letterkenny is one of my favourite new shows having grown up in an area far too similar in rural Ontario...
    - Johnny555 9y ago
      Unlike the USA, where all of our TV content is fresh and new.... like we have Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: LA, Law & Order: True Crime

refurb 9y ago

It's protecting the public that doesn't want to be protected. With the exception of a few Canadian shows and movies, Canadians can't get enough of US media.

Waterluvian 9y ago
I've never once felt like I didn't have enough access to American content or that the regulation was impeding my enjoyment of media in Canada. But I bet it has played a role in the existence of some of the great Canadian shows of the last generation.
9oliYQjP 9y ago
One thing Canadians miss in the “CanCon means shitty TV” meme is that CanCon rules mean Canadian creative talent is cultivated. You don’t just become a great TV writer overnight. You write a lot of shitty TV until you get good at it. This is not unlike programming. Why do you think there are so many successful Canadians in Hollywood? A bunch got their start in productions that wouldn’t be around if not for CanCon. I mean for crying out loud, Drake, who is possibly one of the greatest cultural entrepreneurs of our time got his start on Degrassi. It’s not perfect by any means but Canadians tend to forget this aspect of the system whereby Canadian talent is cultivated, they go to the US to learn even more, then return to help educate the next generation of Canadian talent (eg Norman Jewison and the Canadian Film Centre)
- smsm42 9y ago
  > This is not unlike programming. You mean, Canada should mandate certain percentage of software be written in Canada too, and if your site or software product doesn't run X% of Canadian software, you should not be able to use it within Canada? Great idea, sure.
  - Spooky23 9y ago
    Nations need to think about strategic interests beyond the capitalist trope that motivates most of us. It’s not in Canada’s national interest for Toronto to be a remote suburb of the US east coast. If and when relations between the two nations degrade, Canada needs to be able to continue functioning. That’s the danger of the mercurial Trump administration. The random shit that speed out of the US is making everyone question everything.
    - smsm42 9y ago
      > Nations need to think about strategic interests beyond the capitalist trope that motivates most of us. So, are you agreeing with me that it'd be good for Canadian government to require software (or at least significant part of it) be made in Canada? > If and when relations between the two nations degrade, Canada needs to be able to continue functioning. Thus, Canada should build its own Linux, its own Windows, its own Google, its own Facebook, its own Amazon and so on... Just in case they ever have bad relationships with the US, you know. And since nobody would use those while US alternatives are available, it would make sense to ban Canadians from using US equivalents - for their own good. After all, this model is being used with great success in China. > The random shit that speed out of the US is making everyone question everything. I have read this phrase five times and still have no idea what do you mean. Is it wrong to question things? Is Trump making people question things they did not question before and somehow it is bad? Is Canada being hurt because people were not daring to question things before Trump and are questioning them now, and these things can not withstand questioning? Frankly, I am a bit lost here.
      - 9oliYQjP 9y ago
gozur88 9y ago
CanCon prompted Bob and Doug McKenzie, so it's not all bad.
- 52-6F-62 9y ago
  Underrated comment! Just want to throw it out there: anybody who hasn't seen Strange Brew should promptly do so!

junkscience2017 9y ago

in reality it means paying taxes so the CBC can make a shitty Canadian version of Law And Order that no one watches almost none of the "Canadian" content relates any national values...it is almost uniformly just garbage remakes of US shows

DKnoll 9y ago
Name some of these remakes of American shows, please.
- junkscience2017 9y ago
  short of the 10pm news and taxpayer-funded hockey, there is basically nothing on the CBC that isn't utterly derivative...and most of the dramas literally air to zero viewers...just admit it, it's all awful and you don't watch it either
  - DKnoll 9y ago
    I do watch it... Letterkenny is the the best thing on TV (well, CraveTV) right now in my opinion. CBC isn't the only studio producing Canadian content either. I briefly checked your comment history... you sure have some negative things to say about Canada, huh? I'm still interested in hearing you name some of these derivative shows that apparently make up the vast majority of Canadian television.
    - 52-6F-62 9y ago
      * CraveTV is from Bell Media, just to add context. And Letterkenny is one of my favourite new shows having grown up in an area far too similar in rural Ontario...
  - Johnny555 9y ago
    Unlike the USA, where all of our TV content is fresh and new.... like we have Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: LA, Law & Order: True Crime