In January 2026 the CRTC announced its plan to review its 2010 Rules of Practice and Procedure.
The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) is holding an online symposium on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure: four panels including stakeholders and lawyers will discuss changes since 2010 to the law regarding administrative rules, ambiguities in the current Rules and gaps in the current Rules’ procedures and practices.
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Time: 10:30 am ET to 4:30 pm ET.
Keynote speaker: CRTC Commissioner Bram Abramson
Limited spaces to attend the event (online) are available until end of day 16 June 2026 – captioning but not translation will be available; the event will not be recorded for later use. Registrants will receive an annotated copy of the current Rules.
Registration through Eventbrite: (https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mandatory-optional-or-missing-the-crtcs-procedural-regulations-in-2026-tickets-1989912687415?aff=oddtdtcreator)
Early-bird registration until 31 May 2026: $200
Registration from 1 June to 16 June 2026: $250
Agenda:
10:30 – 10:40 am Welcome and introduction
10:40 – 11:00 am Keynote address: Commissioner Bram Abramson
11:00 – 12:00 pm Panel 1: Current law on administrative tribunals’ procedures and practices
The CRTC’s current Rules were developed from September 2009 to December 2010. Canadian law about administrative practices has changed since then – how might these changes affect the Commission’s procedural rules and its practices?
12:00 – 12:30 pm Break
12:30 – 1:30 pm Panel 2: Ambiguities in the CRTC’s current Rules
Ambiguities exist when words used are reasonably capable of more than one interpretation: the CRTC’s Rules govern parties that are defined as ‘applicants, respondents or interveners’, for example, but do not specifically define these or other, related terms such as application, reply or intervention. What areas of the Rules need clarification?
1:30 – 2:40 pm Panel 3, Part A: Gaps in the Rules regarding procedures
Compared to the regulations of the Federal Court, the CRTC’s Rules are silent about certain steps in CRTC proceedings, such as the timing or service of online filings, procedural requests or requests for information and certain types of proceedings (such as mediation and negotiation). How do these gaps affect parties’ ability to participate, and to what degree should the Rules describe the Commission’s expectations and requirements of parties?
2:40 – 2:55 pm Break
2:55 – 4:25 pm Panel 3, Part B: Gaps in the Rules regarding practices
Nearly all of the CRTC’s Rules focus on requirements for those participating in its proceedings, meaning that little is known or understood about the CRTC approach to matters involving outside parties. How does the absence of information about CRTC timing, notification and reasons affect participants in its proceedings, and to what degree should the Rules describe any requirements that the CRTC imposes on itself?
4:25 – 4:30 pm Conclusion