This document provides a series of guidelines to advertisers with the purpose of creating non-discriminatory and responsible advertising. Although not a legal document, the ASC (formerly the Canadian Advertising Foundation) does have a board that evaluates complaints lodged against companies not following the code. The document contains a section prohibiting advertisers from distributing messages that discriminate against racial and ethnic minorities.
These are the updated guidelines revising the original CRTC Sex-Role Stereotyping Guidelines enforced by ASC (formerly the Canadian Advertising Foundation). The revised guidelines promote positive portrayals of women and men, with the goal of eliminating gender discrimination in advertising. They address issues of representation in the areas of authority, decision-making, sexuality, violence, diversity, and language.
This code is designed to instruct and commit television and radio broadcasters to equitable portrayals of diverse Canadian subjects in conjunction with the Broadcasting Act. It has replaced the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Sex-Role Portrayal Code and was designed in consultation with 36 public stakeholders from different ethnocultural backgrounds and various disability groups.
Under clause 2, “Human Rights,” the code outlines every person’s right to full and fair representation, and underlines broadcasters’ responsibility not to portray any persons in a discriminatory way based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical or mental disability. Clause 8, “Religious Programming,” mandates broadcasters to disallow religious programming from being used to attack other religious or racial groups.
The document presents the code developed by the CAB. Based on the regulations and procedures established by the Canadian Radio-television Standards clause on “Social Values,” it states that “Advertising must not encourage or portray a range of values that are inconsistent with the moral, ethical or legal standards of contemporary Canadian society.” The document also provides supplementary guidelines and procedures to assist broadcasters, advertisers, advertising agencies, and media placement services in adhering to the code.
These guidelines stipulate that race, ethnicity, or colour will not be mentioned in reporting a story unless it is relevant to the story. It also states that thoughtless stereotypes based on “race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status” will not be allowed.
This document outlines the responsibilities of pay television providers and states that these broadcasters must comply with the Sex Role Portrayal Code for Television and Radio Programming, which stipulates that men and women from different ethnic groups and of different visible minorities must be represented in a diversity of roles with a diversity of responsibilities.
Under article 2, “Equality,” the CBSC regulates that information such as “race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability” are only to be discussed in news broadcasts when they are relevant.
Section 8.0, “Violence Against Specific Groups,” stipulates that broadcasters will not allow programming that “sanctions, promotes or glamorizes violence based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or mental or physical disability.”
This code mandates the portrayal of men and women in equal fashion onscreen and in credits. The code stipulates that men and women from different ethnic groups and of different visible minorities must be represented in a diversity of roles with a diversity of responsibilities.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council was established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters as a mechanism for industry self-regulation. Note: see Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Code of Ethics.
The CBC has an employment equity policy that requires the public corporation to hire people from four distinct, disadvantage groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, people with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups.
These standards provide guidelines for the CBC’s programming. Policy 1.1.4, Multicultural Programming, addresses the Corporation’s commitment to reflect in its programming the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada. This section argues that reflecting the diversity of Canadians in its programming is part of the CBC’s commitment to building and fostering national unity.
This document covers the complete range of CBC program policies and includes the September 1973 policy statement on “Multicultural and Multilingual Broadcasting.”
This submission to the CRTC outlines Radio-Canada’s commitment to having a diversity of voices and opinions in its broadcasting to reflect properly the demographic mix of Canada’s population. Arguing that diversity is necessary for democracy, it outlines the need for multiple stakeholders in broadcasting nationally and suggests that it is essential to have this diversity reflect the ethnic and geographic diversity of the country.
This style guide provides publication guidelines for Canadian journalism, including directions for avoiding biased or discriminatory language.
This policy addresses cross-media ownership and discusses the framework established by the Commission to ensure a greater diversity of voices in Canada. Included in this document are discussions of minority media ownership and the representation of diversity in voices within Aboriginal and ethnic broadcasting.
This policy is an attempt to augment the availability of ethnic programming in under-serviced areas by changing the regulations for Category 2 pay and specialty services. It also outlines some of the risks this expansion may have on existing analogue third-language programming and services.
This document outlines a new licensing framework for audio broadcasting in the hopes of increasing the amount for programming available to special audiences, with a particular focus on ethnic audiences.
This document outlines the commitments made by CTV and CanWest Global to ensure greater diversity and representation of visible minorities and Aboriginal peoples in their broadcasting. It calls on the Canadian Association of Broadcasters to create a community task force to ensure cultural diversity in broadcasting no later than December 31, 2001.
This policy outlines a need for ethnic programming in the Greater Vancouver area. Concluding that the only multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural programming is available at cost to the viewer, under the Ethnic Broadcasting Policy, the policy requests applications for such broadcasting from local service providers.
This document outlines regulatory amendments adopted by the CRTC in regards to how “ethnic programming” and “third language programming” are defined. It also outlines logistical and administrative details broadcasters must follow to include ethnic or third-language programming on their stations.
This document is an update of the CRTC Policy Notice 1985-139. It was designed to respond to the Broadcasting Act, which mandates that Canadian broadcasters reflect the diversity of Canadians in their radio and television content. It discusses the CRTC’s licensing of ethnic programming, how much of ethnic stations’ schedules must be devoted to ethnic content, and how much non-ethnic stations may air third-language ethnic programming. This document also outlines special allowances for campus-based radio stations and Type A community radio stations. This updated document follows a similar structure to the 1985 ethnic broadcasting policy but includes some changes in programming policies to allow more flexibility to broadcasters and streamline Commission regulations.
According to this public notice, all conventional television licensees are henceforth expected to make explicit commitments to ensure that their programming reflects the diversity of Canadians. They are required to ensure that portrayals of different cultural groups are portrayed in a fashion that is fair and non-stereotypical. Under the heading “Building on success—Reaching a wider audience,” the framework discusses the need for both staff and cultural products to reflect the diversity of Canadians. It further stipulates that the portrayals of minorities and Aboriginal peoples must happen in mainstream Canadian television and should not solely be the provenance of ethnic and Aboriginal broadcasters.
This report outlines the requirement for all broadcasters to report on their employment equity policies and initiatives and on employees who currently fall into one of the four designated categories targeted by employment equity policies. These four designated groups are women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.
“No licensee shall distribute programming that contains any abusive comment or abusive pictorial representation that, when taken in context, tends or is likely to expose an individual or a group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disabilty.”
Similar regulations were brought in for specialty services, including radio and TV. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. (1987, January). Television Broadcasting Regulations, 1987. Canada Gazette Part II, 124(4), 623-632. Section 3(b): “A licensee shall not broadcast any abusive pictorial representation that, when taken in context, tends or is likely to expose an individual or a group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”
“A licensee shall not broadcast any abusive comment that, when taken in context, tends or is likely to expose an individual or a group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.” The 2000 regulations amending the Radio Regulations, 1986, redefine “ethnic program” (section 2) as meaning “a program in any language that is specifically directed toward any culturally or racially distinct group, other than one whose heritage is Aboriginal Canadian, from France or from the British Isles; (émission à caractère ethnique).”
This legislation sets the parameters for television broadcasting in Québec. Although ethnic or visible minorities are not specifically mentioned, the legislation does stipulate that broadcasting must reflect the regional and cultural diversity of Québec.
This legislation seeks to amend aspects of the Canadian broadcast law, including the depiction and employment of visible and other minorities in the Canadian broadcasting system. It requires the country’s broadcast programming, specifically of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, to reflect the multicultural nature of Canadian society.
Among the “discriminatory practices” that can be the subject of a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, section 13 of this legislative act lists hate messages.
The Canadian Multiculturalism Act recognizes the diversity of Canadians as regards race, national or ethnic origin, colour, and religion as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society. The recognition and appreciation of the diverse cultures of Canadian society and the promotion of the reflection of those cultures are stated as part of the government’s policy. According to the act, the minister responsible for multiculturalism will take measures to encourage and assist individuals, organizations, and institutions to project the multicultural reality of Canada in their activities in Canada and abroad.
The Broadcasting Act regulates all broadcasting in Canada at the federal level. It is this document that informs other regulatory policies and codes created and distributed by private media regulatory groups. The act includes a section that outlines the imperative of broadcasters to include programming, which reflects the needs and interests of all Canadians, accounting for the multicultural and multiracial character of the country.
Sections 318, 319, and 320 of the Criminal Code of Canada are the laws pertaining to hate propaganda.
In section 6 of the policy requirements, “Reflecting Diversity,” it is stated that the publications and other communications of public institutions must “depict the diverse nature of Canadian society in a fair, representative and inclusive manner,” and must be consistent with the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
The revised administrative guidelines on content and presentation in the federal government’s communication policy require “fair communication practices” regarding the fair and representative depiction of people in relation to race, ethnic origin, disability, and gender. The directions are for government communications to reflect all Canadians to be portrayed as equally productive and contributing members of Canadian society. Guidelines also require that the broad range of federal policies and program initiatives be effectively communicated to multicultural communities in the spirit of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
Section 18: “No person shall publish broadcast, circulate or publicly display any sign, symbol, notice or statement that (a) discriminates or indicates intention to discriminate in respect of an activity or undertaking to which this Code applies; or (b) incites, advocates or counsels discrimination in respect of an activity or undertaking to which this Code applies; unless bona fide and reasonable cause exists for the discrimination.”
This booklet describes appropriate forms of written and oral communication for use in discourse about people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, visible minorities, and women.
In its mission statement, Télé-Québec refers to article 16 of the Loi sur la Société de télédiffusion du Québec and states its commitment to representing the cultural diversity in Québec.
In this document, TVO makes a commitment to reflecting the diversity of Ontarians.