Canada Media Fund to receive $29.5m funding boost to support underrepresented groups

Valerie Creighton

Canada’s government is injecting C$40m ($29.5m) into the Canada Media Fund (CMF) in a bid to help producers from the country tell stories from underrepresented groups.

The boost was revealed in Canada’s federal budget, which was unveiled on Tuesday and is now being ratified by parliament.

Spending is set to be spread across the next two years, although details of where the money will be spent have not been revealed.

The CMF’s CEO, Valerie Creighton, said: “We believe that this new investment is a first step towards the government’s commitment to double its annual contribution to the CMF, which will bolster the domestic content production sector in both linear and immersive media production and contribute to Canada’s economic recovery.”

The CMF, which is set to spend C$366m on film and TV schemes this year, offers several initiatives designed to support underrepresented groups, such as the Pilot Program for Racialised Communities.

The budget also saw an additional C$4m in support for Franco-Canadian producers, with the cash available over the next two years to support domestic content made for France’s TV5Monde service.

Further funding is expected once new online streaming legislation, known as Bill C-11, becomes law. It is currently moving through parliament and will require global streamers to financially contribute to local series.

The funding boost formed part of a widespread spending increase to support Canadian cultural and arts industries, with museums, local festivals and community facilities among other recipients.