CRTC Elimination of PNI Protections Raises Serious Concerns for Public-Interest Documentary Production

Toronto – Monday, May 25, 2026 – The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) is deeply concerned by the CRTC’s recent decision to eliminate the Programs of National Interest (PNI) framework, despite extensive creator-sector interventions and historical evidence supporting the continued importance of direct genre protections for long-form documentary production.

For many years, PNI obligations provided an important safeguard ensuring ongoing investment in culturally significant forms of programming, including long-form documentary, drama, and children’s content.

Historically, market-driven approaches have not reliably sustained public-interest documentary production in Canada. Documentary has long relied on public policy supports, including broadcaster obligations and targeted regulatory measures such as PNI, precisely because the market alone has not consistently supported the forms of documentary storytelling most closely tied to civic discourse, cultural memory, democratic accountability, regional expression, and Canadian cultural sovereignty.

Recent industry data reinforces these concerns. DOC’s research has found significant declines in long-form documentary production and financing in recent years, including major reductions in single-episode documentary production volume and inflation-adjusted spending on long-form documentary production. At the same time, commercially oriented nonfiction formats have continued to expand within the streaming environment. These trends suggest that public-interest documentary faces increasing structural pressures within an increasingly market-driven system.

The Commission’s new framework places greater emphasis on Canadian ownership participation, discoverability obligations, and “enhanced partnerships” involving majority Canadian copyright ownership. While DOC supports stronger Canadian ownership and meaningful participation by independent Canadian creators, we remain concerned that the Commission has not identified a clear evidentiary basis demonstrating that these broader ecosystem measures will adequately replace the role historically played by direct genre protections such as PNI.

This decision creates significant uncertainty regarding the long-term sustainability of public-interest documentary production in Canada. There is a real risk that investment increasingly shifts toward commercially optimized nonfiction formats rather than independently produced public-interest documentary rooted in Canadian civic, regional, and cultural experience.

DOC notes that the Commission has stated that it intends to monitor outcomes and revisit issues if necessary. However, during the CRTC’s recent stakeholder information session, Commission staff acknowledged that the monitoring framework and associated metrics are still under development, raising further concerns about how the ongoing health of public-interest documentary production will be meaningfully assessed under the new system.

DOC believes documentary should not simply be viewed as an “at-risk” genre, but as essential cultural and democratic infrastructure that contributes to civic memory, democratic discourse, media plurality, and Canadian cultural sovereignty. Its viability cannot be left to market forces alone.

DOC will continue engaging with allied organizations, legal counsel, policymakers, and sector stakeholders regarding the implications of these decisions and potential next steps moving forward.

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About DOC

The Documentary Organization of Canada / l’Association des documentaristes du Canada is the collective voice of diverse independent documentary filmmakers across Canada. DOC is a member-driven, not-for-profit association representing over 1500 directors, producers, and craftspeople in the Canadian documentary community. DOC advocates on behalf of its members to foster an environment conducive to documentary production and strives to strengthen the sector within the broader screen industry.

For more information, please contact:

Julian Carrington, Executive Director
Documentary Organization of Canada
executive.director@docorg.ca