Quote:
Originally Posted by electroking
Don't want to contradict anyone about history, but the constitutional change of
1982 was merely cosmetic: bringing the power to amend the constitution in
the hands of the Canadian parliament alone. In practice, Canada had been
a fully sovereing state since the Westminster Statute of 1931, and on the
other hand, the Sovereing of Great Britain (currently Queen Elizateth II) remains
the Canadian Head of State.
Regarding private TV (and Radio) in Canada, those have long existed, with
the rather stiff regulatory framework already mentioned, and with in particular
a rule that forbids majority foreing ownership. This may sound funny, but
on the other hand I don't think any major U.S. broadcaster has significant
foreing ownership either. Regards.
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Yea right, tell that to the people of Quebec and see what happens! Let there be no doubt, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau would decisively disagree that changes to the Canadian constitution in 1982 were merely "cosmetic". French Canadian language and cultural rights were not protected by the Westminster Statute of 1931. So, the victory of repatriation in 1982 is much more than cosmetic. Today, the Governor General is the Queen's representative in Canada and simply a figure head tying Canada to the Commonwealth Nations ... a throw back to the British Empire ...another ball and chain. In 1929, the Royal Commission on Broadcasting (the Aird Commission) noted it was in the "the national interest" to ensure that Canada's cultural identity is reflected in the radio programming available to Canadians. This led to the creation of what was to become the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and marked the beginning of the "great cultural experiment" to preserve Canada's unique cultural identity. This cultural experiment would evolve over time to touch upon many of Canada's cultural activities - broadcasting, music, film and video production, publishing and, more recently, multi-media.
However, throughout it all, Canada's cultural policies have been at the center of controversy. Some, like the C.D. Howe Institute, argue that a freer market for cultural products will provide incentives for Canadian culture producers to create and profit from their work. Others, like Canadian poet Rosemary Sullivan, believe that government grants for small presses, local theaters and new Canadian artists are essential to nurturing Canadian voices and preserving Canadian stories.
The pressures of global trade and new technologies have exacerbated the tensions, but in many ways, they are just new twists on the continuing debate about the vitality of Canadian culture.
Canadian Content regulations (Cancon) require television and radio stations to play a certain amount of domestic programming. The Cancon rules are established under the Broadcasting Act and enforced by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as a condition of licensing for broadcasters. The CRTC also enforces provisions in the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act which restrict foreign ownership in broadcasting and telecommunications enterprises to 20 per cent as a condition of licensing.
Foreign investment rules under the Investment Canada Act prohibit foreign acquisitions of Canadian publishing companies; and also restrict foreign companies from distributing films unless they hold worldwide distribution rights or have invested at least 50 per cent of the production costs. Most private broadcasters have the good sense to always honour the minimum CRTC Canadian content requirements. There are some exceptions, but generally private TV stations must make sure that 60 per cent of their programming measured over an entire year is Canadian, including at least half the shows between 6 p.m. and midnight. Quantity isn't the problem; it's how the commercial operators reach the quota.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the early years of television broadcasting in Canada and an understanding of how color broadcasting started and the role of American broadcasters here's a great book that provides a ton of details:
Canadian Television Policy and the Board of Broadcast Governors, 1958-1968 by William H. N. Hull, Andrew Stewart. 364 pgs.
While I mentioned before that most major Canadian cities affiliated with a nearby US city may be a good place to start looking for roundies. I also bet that Canadian broadcasters were probably experimenting with color since the 1950's. It's possible that a stash of color sets and service parts maybe hidden away in some warehouse owned by the CBC or some other affiliate, long forgotten in some dusty corner. Well, it's a nice dream ... and given the frequency of CT-100's showing up on ...you guess where these days, it just might happen.