CBC/Radio-Canada will receive an additional $300 million in federal funding over the next two years, providing the Canadian public broadcaster with additional resources for news coverage, digital programming and Canadian-produced content.
The funding, included in Canada’s 2026 federal budget released Thursday (Nov. 5), will provide $150 million in each of the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years.
CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard said the investment will help the broadcaster strengthen its local, national and international news operations, increase the visibility of Canadian content on digital platforms and serve audiences during significant national events.
“It is also a vote of confidence in Canadian creators, including the journalists, actors, producers, podcasters, and radio, TV and film crews, whose work is supported by Canada’s public broadcaster,” said Bouchard.
The latest commitment follows an additional $150 million in federal funding provided to the broadcaster in last year’s budget. CBC/Radio-Canada typically receives approximately 70% of its operating budget from the Canadian government, with the remaining 30% generated through advertising. The broadcaster received $1.46 billion in federal funding for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The previous funding increase helped CBC News and its French-language counterpart, Radio-Canada Info, expand their domestic and international news operations. In January, the broadcaster announced plans to establish 11 new bureaus in Canada and hire 33 journalists. It also established or reopened several international bureaus, including locations in Berlin, Beijing, Jerusalem, Mexico City and Los Angeles.
The broadcaster said the additional resources also supported increased commissioning of original Canadian productions from independent producers. That programming includes content distributed through digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Spotify.
CBC/Radio-Canada said the new investment will help sustain those production efforts while improving the experience for audiences using its digital services.
The broadcaster also pointed to expanded sports coverage as a funding priority, including increased investment in high-performance Canadian athletes, professional women’s sports and other major sporting events.
The additional funding comes as CBC’s traditional sports programming undergoes changes. Last season marked the end of Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts on CBC after 74 years. The broadcaster also recently joined the European Broadcasting Union, allowing Canada to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time and providing access to additional international news coverage through the Eurovision News Exchange.
Raj Shoan, Executive Director of media policy watchdog Friends of Canadian Media, said the new commitment provides some financial stability while the government works toward establishing longer-term funding arrangements.
Shoan said the investment offers some stability “as the government works to pass promised stable statutory funding and addresses the need to preserve Canadians’ access to trusted local journalism in their communities.”
