Podcasting in Canada is booming. The talent is here. The audiences are growing. The global momentum is undeniable.
And yet… we’re still treated like the forgotten stepchild of Canada’s cultural sector.
So this week, a group of us — creators, producers, studios, and advocates — sent an open letter to Minister Steven Guilbeault and the team at Canadian Heritage. We asked them to do one thing:
Treat podcasting like the cultural force it already is.
Because right now? The system fails us.
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The Canada Media Fund doesn’t support audio-only content.
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Most grants don’t include promotion, marketing, or professional development.
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Video podcasts (which straddle screen and audio) get ignored too.
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And podcasts are still nowhere in the Labour Force Survey.
Meanwhile, podcast audiences are exploding:
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12 million Canadians listen every month
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Francophone listening is up 65% in just a few years
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BIPOC audiences over-index on weekly podcast consumption
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Canadian kids are co-listening with their parents
Podcasting is a home for Indigenous language revitalization. For displaced journalists. For bold climate storytelling. For new voices with no gatekeepers.
But here’s the brutal truth: independent podcasters can’t keep up without support.
Production costs are real — scripting, sound design, guest wrangling, post-production, hosting, promotion… it adds up fast. And without funding, many creators are forced to cut corners, or worse, rely on soulless AI-generated filler just to keep going.
That’s not the future we want for Canadian storytelling.
So we’re asking for three things:
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A federal podcast fund for both audio and video
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CMF eligibility updates to include podcasting
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National consultations with creators to shape future policy
If you care about Canadian stories — real ones, long-form ones, diverse ones — now’s the time to speak up.
📣 Are you part of the Canadian podcast industry? Add your name to the letter.
We’re building a united voice. And it’s growing fast.
Let’s not wait for policy to catch up to reality. Let’s push it there.
Jen Moss is the Co-Founder and and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Audio. As JAR’s podcast “doula”, collaborating with enterprise brands to bring great podcasts into the world. With a background spanning CBC Radio, Canada’s National Film Board Digital Studio, Vancouver’s Roundhouse Radio and the University of British Columbia, she guides the creation of captivating podcasts at JAR.
