Is your favourite show CanCon enough? Here’s why the definition of Canadian content may get a reboot [Video]

What’s your favourite bit of CanCon?

Maybe Schitt’s Creek, which aired on CBC but also streamed on Netflix, comes to mind. Perhaps some iteration of Anne of Green Gables. Or maybe a classic David Cronenberg flick like Dead Ringers? These are all considered to be CanCon — shorthand for Canadian content, it refers to film and television productions made in Canada by Canadians.

But maybe you have a favourite show like CBS’s Tracker, which airs on Global TV in Canada. It’s one of the most watched shows on broadcast and streaming according to the Nielsen ratings, a U.S.-based audience measurement system. It’s filmed in British Columbia and employs Canadians, but it’s not considered CanCon.

That matters because broadcasters in this country have obligations to ensure that a minimum percentage of the content they distribute to viewers meets government CanCon requirements to ensure Canadian stories are available on Canadian TV screens or streaming devices. 

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