CPAC is similar to services in other countries including C-SPAN (United States), EuroparlTV (European Union), La Chaîne parlementaire (France), Phoenix (Germany), BBC Parliament (United Kingdom), Arutz HaKnesset (Israel) and TV Câmara and TV Senado (Brazil), some of which (particularly C-SPAN) occasionally supply programming to CPAC.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) allowed cable companies to carry the broadcasts on their specialty channels as an interim measure.

In 1989, the CBC and a consortium of cable television providers made a joint proposal for the creation of a new entity, the Canadian Parliamentary Channel (CPaC) that would carry the proceedings of the House of Commons and committees, along with proceedings of royal commissions, enquiries, court hearings and provincial legislatures, and public affairs programming.

In 1992, the Board came to an agreement with Canadian Parliamentary Channel, Inc., a consortium of 25 cable companies, to take over the CBC's role; the new service received its licence from the CRTC in 1993.

V (since renamed Noovo) does not have wide availability outside Quebec, unlike previous rightsholder Radio-Canada or even rival private network TVA.

This had caused some concern with francophone groups outside Quebec, thus, CPAC was chosen because of its mandatory carriage on the basic service of all cable and satellite providers, as well as the fact that the House of Commons was not sitting during the games.

[9][10] Since 2009, CPAC has also had the authority to carry entertainment programming on July 1 in order to cover Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill or elsewhere.