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The Youth Media Alliance welcomes the Government of Quebec’s commitment to strengthening youth-oriented content

June 16 2026

Montreal, June 16, 2026 – The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) welcomes with enthusiasm the directions announced today by the Minister of Culture and Communications, aimed at increasing the presence of youth content within Quebec’s cultural ecosystem. This recognition of children and adolescents as a priority audience represents a strong and long-awaited signal from the entire sector.

In a context where Quebec’s audiovisual production industry is going through a particularly difficult period, marked by a significant decline in production volume, funding, and broadcasting opportunities, the YMA considers this initiative an essential step toward ensuring Quebec’s cultural vitality and the transmission of its identity to new generations.

“We are pleased that those under 18 are explicitly at the heart of a governmental reflection on culture and media. We can only welcome this vision. Young Quebecers deserve to grow up with stories that resemble them, that reflect their language, their reality, and their culture,” says Athena Georgaklis, Co-Chair of the Youth Media Alliance.

For more than 50 years, YMA members—producers, creators, broadcasters, distributors, and industry professionals—have worked to provide children and adolescents with high-quality content that fosters learning, openness to the world, critical thinking, and a sense of belonging to Quebec and Canadian culture.

This government announcement comes at a crucial moment. As young audiences are exposed to an increasingly abundant global content offering, it has become imperative to ensure a strong, accessible, and sustainable presence of local works. Investing in youth content is not only a cultural choice: it is an investment in Quebec’s future, in its creators, its companies, and its citizens of tomorrow.

The YMA now hopes that this commitment will translate into concrete, structural, and lasting measures to support the creation, production, discoverability, and export of Quebec and Canadian youth content. The Minister’s recent statements notably highlight the need to strengthen offerings for young audiences and better respond to their cultural needs.

“Children and adolescents are not only the audience of tomorrow. They are the audience of today. Offering them high-quality content, designed for them and with them in mind, is a societal choice. We thank the Minister for placing this priority at the heart of his cultural vision.”

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Recognition of indigenous narrative sovereignty

When in Toronto: We, the YMA, acknowledge the land we work on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

When in Montreal: We, the YMA, acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation, who have long served as the custodians of these lands and waters. Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) has historically been a place of meeting and exchange among many First Nations and continues to be home to a diverse Indigenous community.

The YMA supports and promotes the narrative sovereignty of all Indigenous nations

Recognition of the Canadian Screen Industry's Statement of Values

The YMA joins organizations across Canada’s screen industry to say: this is what we stand for and commit to:
1. Representation – Ensuring Canadian and Indigenous stories are seen and heard.
2. Reflection – Everyone in Canada should see themselves on screen.
3. Showcase – Telling our stories to the world.
4. Reconciliation – Taking real steps to work with and support Indigenous storytellers.
5. Diversity – Making room for a wide range of lived experiences and perspectives.
6. Access – Breaking down barriers to participation and opportunity.
7. Support – Backing the screen industry as a vital part of our economy and culture.
8. Collaboration – Working across sectors and borders to strengthen our industry.
9. Sustainability – Creating a future that works for people and the planet.
10. Accountability – Setting goals, tracking progress, and staying honest about where we are.
11. Equity – Actively dismantling systemic discrimination in all its forms.

Mitigating the Environmental Impact of Events

The YMA helps mitigate the environmental impact of all its activities by adopting sustainable practices throughout the event. This includes choosing venues with strong green policies, reducing printed materials by prioritizing digital programs, and encouraging participants to use reusable water bottles and coffee cups. Offering plant-based and locally sourced menu options, minimizing single-use plastics, and ensuring effective waste sorting and recycling on-site are also important steps. Finally, the YMA promotes low-carbon travel by encouraging public transit, carpooling, or virtual participation options where possible, ensuring the conference remains both impactful and environmentally responsible.