The Government of Canada has announced the creation of an advisory panel tasked with reviewing and modernizing federal support for the country’s audiovisual and interactive media sector. The move comes as Ottawa works to adapt decades‑old funding and policy tools to a fast‑changing digital environment in which Canadian stories now compete globally on streaming platforms, social media and digital games.
Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, unveiled the panel at the annual conference of the Association québécoise de la production médiatique in Gatineau. The 11‑member group brings together leading filmmakers, producers, executives, festival leaders, game developers and digital‑media innovators from across Canada.
Those named to the panel include:
- Alethea Arnaquq‑Baril – Inuk filmmaker, director, producer and screenwriter
- Marcel Gallant – Producer and director; partner, Connexions Productions
- Monique Simard – Cultural administrator and producer; former president and CEO, SODEC
- Prem Gill – Chief Executive Officer, Creative BC
- Roma Khanna – Executive Chair, Hidden Light Productions
- Florence Girot – Senior Director, Festivals, International Federation of Film Producers Associations
- Kyle Fostner – Executive Director, Vancouver International Film Festival
- Katerina Cizek – Documentary director and digital media innovator; Artistic Director and Co‑Founder, Co Creation Studio, MIT Open Documentary Lab
- Tamara Mariam Dawit – Producer, director and writer; Founder, Gobez Media
- Jason Della Rocca – Game industry entrepreneur and investor; Co‑Founder, Execution Labs
- Christine Kleckner – Executive Director, National Screen Institute
The advisory group will be guided by foresight and industry‑strategy experts Catherine Mathys and Catalina Briceño, who will help structure the panel’s deliberations on how to update federal support mechanisms while preserving Canada’s cultural sovereignty and creative diversity.
The government says the current audiovisual support framework was built for a different era, when traditional broadcasters and film distribution dominated the market. In 2024, Canada’s audiovisual and interactive media sector contributed about 19 billion dollars to GDP and supported roughly 160,000 jobs, with audiovisual exports nearly doubling since 2017. The government’s goal is to ensure that federal programs remain effective, efficient, transparent and capable of backing a full spectrum of Canadian voices, genres and languages.
The review will examine existing audiovisual policy and institutions, including funding programs, regulatory approaches and public‑interest obligations. The panel is expected to make recommendations on how to better support television, film, digital series, podcasts, video games and emerging forms of interactive storytelling, while helping the industry stay competitive internationally.
During the consultation period, the federal government has pledged to listen closely to partners across the country, including broadcasters, streamers, creators’ associations, unions, Indigenous and racialized communities, and provincial‑level funding bodies. Minister Miller said he will continue to meet with stakeholders over the coming months to shape a support system that helps Canada’s creative industries grow, remain competitive and set a global standard for high‑quality content.
Minister Miller emphasized that modernization is no longer a long‑term ambition but an immediate necessity. “We have the talent. We have the creativity. We need a modernized system that keeps pace and sets us up for future success,” he said. “The advisory panel will help us adapt our support so it can respond to the sector’s current and future needs, while strengthening our economy and creating good jobs.”
For the Canadian audiovisual sector, the panel’s work represents a pivotal moment. As audience habits, financing models and platform power shift, many creators and producers say the existing patchwork of federal, provincial and industry funds must be streamlined and better aligned with contemporary realities. The government hopes the advisory‑panel process will lay the groundwork for a clearer, more resilient roadmap that ensures Canadian stories continue to be seen and heard both at home and abroad.
Media professional and journalist based in British Columbia, Canada. Founder of Studiox Film & TV Corporation, focusing on multicultural news, interviews, and community storytelling across Canada.
