Magazines Canada uses the following criteria in the membership process. Contact info@magazinescanada.ca if you have any questions about your magazine’s eligibility.

Eligibility Criteria

Magazines that meet standards stated in the association’s bylaws may be eligible for membership. When an application is received, the membership committee reviews it and makes recommendations to the board of directors, which is responsible for approval of membership applications. All decisions are final, but applicants may re-apply at a later date. To be eligible for membership, magazines must meet the following criteria:

General

Magazines applying must have published at least one issue and a printed copy or digital replica must be submitted with the application. Proofs are not sufficient. Magazines that have not completed a full year’s publishing cycle may apply for probationary membership, which includes all member benefits with the exception of a vote at the Annual General Meeting. Probationary members are granted full membership after a successful annual review.

Relationship between Advertising and Editorial

An average of no more than 70% of the magazine, calculated over a yearly publishing cycle, may be devoted to advertising (including native content).

Circulation

The applicant’s magazine must be available to the general public. This availability may be demonstrated by publishing a subscription price, cover price and UPC (Magazines Canada can supply this to successful applicants) and/or by providing Magazines Canada with an independent circulation audit showing the magazine is available to the general public aside from any availability to members of a club or association. Publications must have a minimum verifiable circulation of 100 copies or more.

Definition

The applicant’s magazine must either define itself to the public as a magazine or not define itself as other than a magazine. The magazine must be a periodical of a cultural, social, economic, political, special interest, consumer, business media or artistic nature that is not deemed by Magazines Canada to be a house organ publication circulated exclusively to a club membership, advertising catalogue, promotional publication, or daily or weekly newspaper.

Canadian Ownership

The applicant’s magazine must be at least 51% Canadian owned. “Control in fact” of the title’s managerial, editorial and financial affairs must be in the hands of Canadian citizens and/or landed immigrants residing in Canada.

Magazines Canada interprets and measures “control in fact” as the ability to determine the magazine’s editorial content, advertising content, pagination, financial policies and business affairs, including the capacity to exercise a veto in these areas if needed. All new applicants, and from time to time all members, may be asked to verify ownership status and Canadian “control in fact.”

Canadian Content

Applicant magazines must demonstrate support of the interconnected cultural and economic value of a vital Canadian magazine publishing industry by having substantial Canadian content, which is normally defined as 80% annual Canadian-authored content. In cases where the 80% threshold is not reached, other indicators may be considered. Such indicators would be applied proportionately to how far below the 80% threshold an applicant magazine’s content falls. These indicators include, but are not limited to:

• Commitment to Canadian employment (creative and managerial)
• Canadian editorial perspective
• Export of Canadian content, covering:
  (a) Canadian magazines with an international audience and
  (b) facilitating second rights sales of Canadian-authored content
• Commitment to the creation of other cultural products by and for Canadians (such as books, film, TV, media, shows)

Note: Magazines Canada reserves the right to turn down a membership application on the basis of production values and/or editorial content.