Each year, as Canadians sit down to watch the Juno Awards — this year airing live on CBC and CBC Gem on March 29 — it’s worth thinking about how award shows are never just simple celebrations.
National arts award ceremonies like the Junos are part of a cultural system that help define who belongs, who succeeds and what counts as “Canadian” in the first place.
My doctoral research investigated equity, diversity and inclusion across the Canadian music industry at three levels: individual, institutional and regulatory. What emerged was a clear picture of how industry practices and cultural policy shape the very idea of Canadian identity.
