have a chance to compete with the American content, a branch of the government has created rules and regulations regarding the amount of Canadian content which must be aired on the television and radio. This organization, called the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), has made a rule where 35% of all music aired in radio stations must be Canadian content. This rule has helped to protect the Canadian identity and music industry to a certain degree, but it has not protected it enough. Ultimately, stronger rules and regulations must be put in place if Canada is to survive the assimilation of itself into America. That is why I believe that at least sixty percent of music played in radio stations, during prime hours, should be Canadian content, in order for the Canadian music industry to grow and flourish along with the Canadian collective identity and culture. No matter what, the American collective identity and culture will never stop from leaking into Canada because of how interconnected the two countries are.
Because of this, it is absolutely crucial that the Canadian collective identity does not get lost in or mixed with the American collective identity. One way to ensure this is to continuously affirm and Canadian values. In fact, one of the main differences between Canada and the United States lies within their values; Canadian value the “we” mentality of everybody working together whereas the United States values the “me” mentality where everybody works for themselves. There are many examples of Canadian music which emphasizes these values. Some of these includes Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”, which utilises many voices singing together to create a powerful sense of harmony, and The Tragically Hip’s “Ahead by a Century”, which has a kind tone which accurately represents Canada. Sadly, songs such as these which help to reinforce what makes us Canadian are only being played for a measly 35% of the time, according to the current CRTC rules, and often during the hours where many listeners are not listening. If the new rule of having 60% of all music being Canadian music during prime hours was implemented, many of the people who listen to these radio stations would not become brainwashed with American ideals, but instead be exposed to the Canadian values like they have never heard before. I believe that because the Canadian music would be more listened to than any other type of music, it would spread Canadian values through the people and prevent a complete homogenization of the Canadian culture into the
American. Another benefit of having increased Canadian content played on radio stations is that it would increase the economic prosperity of the music industry in Canada. By increasing the amount of Canadian content that must be aired from 35% to 60%, there will be a large increase in demand for Canadian music. Therefore, many more potential jobs would be open for people to take, making these songs that people want to listen to. This will encourage people to pursue a career in music and thus would would help the economy by having more people with jobs. Moreover, another added benefit of this new law would be that it would help to diversify the Canadian market more, reducing Canada's reliance on oil and petroleum products. This is especially important now as Canada has suffered massive blows to the economy due to fall in the price of oil. Any new areas where Canada can have the opportunity to expand economically would be readily welcomed. Overall, Canada will benefit economically from an increase in Canadian content played on radio stations because it will help to create more jobs in new areas where Canadians have not yet expanded. All in all, the CRTC should have stronger rules and regulations. Increasing the amount of music aired on radio stations that must be Canadian content from 35% to 60% is crucial for the goodness of Canada. Having this law would affirm the Canadian identity by reinforcing Canadian values. It would also help to prevent the Americanization of Canada. Moreover, having this law would also boost Canada’s economy by giving people more job opportunities and diversifying Canada's economy. Ultimately, I believe that Canada would benefit from stronger rules and regulations regarding the amount of mandatory Canadian content.