A group of satellite radio supporters organized by a pair of companies seeking to launch service in Canada convened in Toronto Aug. 31 to voice support for the licenses granted to the companies by the Canadian government.

The rally was organized by Sirius Canada and Canadian Satellite Radio. The two companies received licenses in June from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch satellite radio services in Canada. CSR will use XM Satellite Radio technology, while Sirius Canada is team with Sirius Satellite Radio.

The Canadian government is weighing protests of the licenses from a number of Canadian companies and interest groups and is expected to respond to those complaints by mid September.

“The CRTC did the right thing in granting these licenses with specific Canadian content requirements,” Kevin Shea, president and CEO of Sirius Canada, said in a statement. “It is fulfilling its mandate to bring new services and new technologies to Canada and better yet Canadian artists will now get a presence on this new technology that they may not have had through the grey market.”

Among the license condition are requirements to broadcast a minimum percentage of Canadian content, as well as contribute money to programs that support development of Canadian musical talent.

“Canadian artists will also benefit through the emergence of an additional royalty revenue stream, ongoing investment in Canadian talent development and access to more than 300 million potential subscribers in North America,” John Bitove, chairman and CEO of CSR, said. “Furthermore, there will be strong investment and employment benefits for Canadians as we begin to build new facilities and undertake other infrastructure development projects.”