CPAC says it’s at ‘breaking point’ after CRTC postpones wholesale rate decision

OTTAWA – The video service that has been providing Canadians with direct coverage of political events since 1992 says a recent CRTC decision puts its operation at risk.

“Our equipment is in an imminent state of broadcast failure,” CEO Christa Dickenson said in an interview.

Dickenson said “it could very well be that at some point we go dark.”

CPAC said in a news release Thursday it is now at a “breaking point” and urgently needs to rebuild its broadcast infrastructure.

It pointed to a decision last week by the broadcast regulator to postpone a decision on increasing its wholesale rate, which it said threatens its ability to deliver programming.

The current rate of $0.13 per subscriber, paid by cable and satellite providers, has remained the same since 2018 — and those cable and satellite providers have been losing subscribers ever since.

Dickenson said the service has only had two one-cent increases in the wholesale rate in the past 20 years.

“Just imagine the inflation alone over the years,” she added.

The 2024 federal budget did include a one-time $5 million grant to start the necessary rebuild, but CPAC needs another $8 million, Dickenson said.

Dickenson said the unedited public affairs content CPAC offers is an antidote to the spread of misinformation.

Its offerings include footage of parliamentary procedure, including announcements, press conferences and media scrums. It’s a popular tool among Canadian political reporters, particularly in Ottawa.

“The importance of CPAC is quite critical,” Dickenson said. 

She added that when it comes to the unedited content CPAC provides, “there’s very little corners to be cut.”

She said the organization has cut staff already and is as “lean” as it can be.

“We’ve shrunk programming. We actually cut one of our programs and our quantity of hours has reduced a little bit,” she said.

Dickenson added in a followup comment that CPAC had to cut its budget for federal election coverage in half.

Christopher Waddell, professor emeritus and former director of the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University, said if the service does shut down, it would limit opportunities for both journalists and members of the public to see some events, such as news conferences and political conventions.

“It removes one of the potential places where people can find information about politics and public policy,” he said in an interview.

Waddell noted CPAC also covers events outside of Parliament, such as conferences, that broadcast networks seldom cover.

CPAC had asked for a three-cent increase in its wholesale rate, to $0.16. In the Nov. 21 decision — which also applied to two other channels, TV5 Québec Canada, and Vues & Voix — the CRTC pointed to its ongoing work to implement the Online Streaming Act. It did not give a time frame for a decision.

The CRTC’s vice-chairperson of telecommunications, Adam Scott, and commissioner Bram Abramson dissented from the majority in that decision.

“We agree that these services are of exceptional importance. This inclines us towards taking decisions now, rather than deferring them,” they said.

A spokesperson for the CRTC said one of the hearings it held as part of the work related to the Online Streaming Act included specific questions about services such as CPAC.

“The conclusions of these consultations could have an impact on the services covered by the applications for increases in mandatory monthly wholesale rates per subscriber, including CPAC. For this reason, the CRTC has decided to postpone its review of these applications so that it can evaluate them in light of updated regulatory frameworks,” the spokesperson said.

“The CRTC may still review these applications on a shorter timeline if it deems it appropriate.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2025.