Unifor seriously concerned by latest government decision on Canadian cultural policy
TORONTO, June 3, 2026 /CNW/ – Unifor is deeply concerned by today’s announcement from the Government of Canada ordering the CRTC to review its two decisions announced on May 21, 2026, regarding implementation of regulations related to the Online Streaming Act.
Unifor has advocated for more than 15 years for new legislation that would finally bring foreign streaming services under regulation and require them to meaningfully contribute to the Canadian media ecosystem.
“This latest move by the federal government represents a devastating blow to our cultural sovereignty and to our strong, diverse Canadian media ecosystem, including local news,” said Lana Payne, National President of Unifor, a union representing 9,000 media workers.
“U.S. big tech makes billions in the Canadian market, and they should be required to reinvest some of that money locally, allowing us to tell our stories and grow our talent here in Canada.”
The financial model that previously supported Canadian content creation, including vital local news, is permanently broken and Canadians are experiencing a loss of locally relevant programming and decreased access to locally relevant news. One significant issue has been that U.S. big tech has been essentially given a free ride, having been given access to Canadian markets without requirements to contribute meaningfully to Canada’s broadcast and news systems.
The May decisions by the CRTC would have required large online streaming services (making over $25 million in Canada) to contribute 15% of their annual Canadian revenues to support Canadian and Indigenous content and would have reduced the contribution rates for traditional broadcasters to 25% of annual revenues.
In addition, the recent decisions would have established a new “discoverability” framework intended to make Canadian and Indigenous content easily findable on online platforms.
“This follows on the heels of the Liberals’ concession to Trump and U.S. Big Tech when they backed away from the Digital Services Tax in June 2025,” said Julie Kotsis, Chair of Unifor’s Media Council.
“This latest move is another two steps back when it comes to protecting and supporting Canada’s media sector, and especially local news.”
Unifor is calling on the federal government to stand up for local news in Canada by rescinding today’s review announcement and moving ahead to implement the May 21 CRTC decisions as quickly as possible.
Unifor represents over 9,000 media workers in Canada, who perform a diverse range of jobs, including: journalists, printers, advertising representatives, newspaper carriers, video editors, camera operators, technicians, writers, producers, editorial researchers, maintenance workers, on-air talent, stage and film crewmembers, production assistants, website developers, editors and publishers.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
