In the early 1970s, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), implemented a Canadian content law, often referred to as CANCON. This stipulated that radio stations in Canada were required to play at least 25% Canadian content.

I've never been a big fan of government interference, especially in the arts, but they got it right back then. Dozens of wonderful local bands were given enough of a foot up to make modest careers from their talent. My formative years were blessed with memories from bands such as:

A Foot in Cold Water
April Wine
Copper Penny
Edward Bear
Five Man Electrical Band
Fludd
Ian Thomas
Keith Hampshire
Ken Tobias
King Biscuit Boy
Klaatu
Lighthouse
Major Hoople’s Boarding House
Michel Pagliaro
Ocean
Southcote
Steel River
Sweeney Todd
The Stampeders
Thundermug
Tranquility Base
Trooper

Of course there were other great acts around at the time, but I suspect artists such as The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Steppenwolf and Ronnie Hawkins were destined to make it on their own - but who's to say? All I know, is that a lot of great Canadian music came out of the early to mid-seventies because of CanCon.