French-language broadcasters use a rating system that is virtually identical to Quebec's Régie du cinéma's film rating system, with one additional category (8+). For English-language broadcasters, they use the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
| Rating | Description | English Equivalent(s) |
|---|---|---|
| G Général |
Appropriate for all ages and must contain little or no violence and little to no sexual content. Children's TV with fantasy/cartoon violence permitted at G. | C to G (French-language rating system has no specific children's TV ratings) |
| 8 ans + |
Appropriate for children 8 and up. May contain little violence, language, and little to no sexual situations. | C8 to PG (low end) |
| 13 ans + |
Suitable for children 13 and up and may contain moderate violence, language, and some sexual situations. | PG (high end) to 14+ (low end) |
| 16 ans + |
Recommended for children over the age of 16 and may contain strong violence, strong language, and strong sexual content. | 14+ (high end) to 18+ (low end) |
| 18 ans + |
Recommended to be viewed by adults and may contain extreme violence and graphic sexual content. It is mostly used for 18+ movies and pornography. | 18+ (may air during the watershed, high end) |
An E rating (no rating will appear on screen) is given to exempt programming, in the same classes used for English-Canadian programming above.
Trivia[]
- Rules that the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council applies are slightly different from Quebec television; for example, in the case MusiquePlus re CTRL, the CBSC stated there were cases where the word 'f**k' was acceptable before the watershed on television in Quebec. This is not the case in any other Canadian region.