Terms of Trade Handbook

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The following guide has been designed by the CMPA to provide you with our interpretation of how Terms of Trade should be applied in your day to day dealings with the five private English language broadcaster groups who are signatories to this agreement.  The Terms of Trade agreement is a living document, meaning that as we gain experience working with it we will, no doubt, make modifications to this guide.

It is important to note that these Terms of Trade were negotiated in a highly respectful manner between the CMPA and broadcaster representatives. That said, disagreements and disputes are inevitable.  The CMPA is committed to working through any rough patches with our broadcast partners in an equally respectful manner.

The CMPA negotiating team included Norm Bolen, President and CEO of the CMPA, Reynolds Mastin, its Counsel, Eric Birnberg, a leading entertainment industry lawyer, and myself.  We were also assisted in the early stages by a masterful negotiator and great Canadian, Mr Gordon Ritchie. We at the CMPA consider this Terms of Trade agreement a major first step in rebalancing the broadcaster/producer relationship. I would personally like to thank my colleagues for all their efforts in achieving this longstanding goal.

None of this would have been possible had the CRTC not recognized the importance of Terms of Trade in ensuring a healthy broadcasting system which serves the needs and desires of Canadian consumers.

Finally, a particular thank you is owed to Reynolds Mastin, who ably drove the creation of this guide.

As always, whether you are a CMPA member or not, you are encouraged to contact us if you are having any difficulties in respect of any matter covered by Terms of Trade. In short, we are here to assist you to ensure that Terms of Trade are adhered to by our broadcast partners. The CMPA team is here to serve you. If you have any questions please feel free to bring them to our attention.

John Barrack
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer