Ethnic Community TV Producers Urge Ottawa to Act as Budget Decisions Loom - Warn of Disinformation Risks if Sector Fails

TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Independent third-language community television producers across Canada are warning that their sector is on the brink of collapse - and that their plea for survival risks being lost in the final shuffle of the federal budget process.

They are calling for a $10.52 million annual program to be included in the upcoming federal budget, aimed at closing a long-standing policy gap and safeguarding Canada's local news sovereignty.

Without immediate intervention, hundreds of thousands of Canadians could lose access to trusted local news in their own languages - creating an information vacuum that hostile foreign actors could exploit to spread disinformation. The warning comes in an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Steven Guilbeault, calling for swift action before it's too late.

Their budget submission, titled the Canadian Independent Ethnic Community Television: Anti-Disinformation and Digital Transition Program, calls for a modest investment to help producers transition online and preserve multilingual local news across more than 85 language communities.

"We fear that once again, despite years of engagement with officials, our voices will be lost in the noise. This is the only media sector without access to any public funding. Closing this policy gap would finally make Canada's multicultural media system fair and inclusive," said Igor Malakhov, Campaign Coordinator, Canadian Ethnic Media Association; Executive Director, The "Empower Canadian Ethnic Media" Campaign, and Editor-in-Chief of the online platform and weekly OMNI 1 program Vestnik.ca, which serves Canada's Russian-speaking community. "If this sector disappears, Canada will lose a crucial link between its institutions and millions of citizens who rely on trusted information in their heritage languages."

Madeline Ziniak, C.M., O.Ont., Chair of  the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA) explains further: "It is fundamental to acknowledge the crucial role that Canada's multilingual, multicultural media plays in our democracy. Access to a funding mechanism would finally create a fair and equitable playing field for this important sector. It would preserve trusted multilingual news for over 800,000 Canadians and help deliver on Bill C-11's commitment to reflect Canada's ethnocultural diversity in broadcasting."

Kiu Rezvanifar, President of CEMA and producer of two television programs serving Canada's Iranian community adds: "This isn't about creating another subsidy - it's about protecting Canadian news sovereignty and recognizing the crucial role of independently produced ethnic community television. If we fail to act, we risk leaving communities vulnerable to disinformation and losing a cornerstone of our multicultural democracy."

Quick Facts

The open letter and full proposal can be viewed at: https://empowerethnicmedia.org

Canadian Independent Ethnic Community Television: Anti-Disinformation and Digital Transition Program's  Funding Request:
$10.52 million annually for two years (2025–2027)

Funding Breakdown:

• Base Production Grant -- $96,200 per eligible program per year
• Digital Transition Grant -- $24,000 per program per year
• Supports approximately 85–100 independent ethnic community television producers across Canada

Audience Reach of Independently Produced Ethnic Community TV:

• More than 85 small media companies serving over 800,000 weekly viewers
• One in four Canadians has a mother tongue other than English or French
• In major cities like Toronto and Vancouver, nearly half the population speaks a third language at home

Public Policy Gap:

Independent third-language producers are excluded from existing federal programs such as the Canada Media Fund, Google News Fund, Local Journalism Initiative, and the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit.

Legislative Context:

• Online News Act (Bill C-18): Intended to strengthen Canadian news, but Meta's link blocking has cut off a major online channel to reach ethnic audiences.
• Bill C-11: Adopted in 2023, it mandates support for multilingual content reflecting Canada's ethnocultural diversity - yet no tangible impact has reached independently produced ethnic community television.

SOURCE Canadian Ethnic Media Association

For further information, please contact: Igor Malakhov, Campaign Coordinator, Canadian Ethnic Media Association; Executive Director, The "Empower Canadian Ethnic Media" Campaign, P:  416-273-6557, E:  [email protected]; Averill Maroun, Media Relations, Canadian Ethnic Media Association, P:  647 513-2978, E:  [email protected]