##### 



U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 40-F

|            |  |                                                                                        
|----------- |  | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|(Check one) |  |                                                                                        
|o           |  | REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934   
|            |  |                                                                                        
|þ           |  | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13(a) OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended:
August 31,
2002                        Commission File Number: 1-14148

CANWEST GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS CORP.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


|                                                                        |  |                                                              |  |                                                   
|----------------------------------------------------------------------- |  | ------------------------------------------------------------ |  | --------------------------------------------------
|Canada(Province or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization) |  | 4833(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number) |  | Not applicable(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

|                                                                                                                                                             |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |  | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|3100 TD Centre
201 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3B 3L7
(204) 956-2025(Address and telephone number of
Registrants principal executive offices) |  | Kaye Scholer LLP
425 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
(212) 836-8000(Name, address (including zip code) and telephone number
(including area code) of agent for service in the United States)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

|                    |  |                                                             
|------------------- |  | ------------------------------------------------------------
|Title of each class |  | Name of each exchange on which registered                   
|                    |  |                                                             
|Non-Voting Shares   |  | The New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
The Toronto Stock Exchange

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act. None.

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act. None.

For annual reports, indicate by check mark the information filed with this Form:

|                            |  |  |   |                                     |  |  |  | 
|--------------------------- |  |  | - | ----------------------------------- |  |  |  | 
|þ   Annual information form |  |  | þ | Audited annual financial statements

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the
issuers classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the
period covered by the annual report.

|                                |  |                                                                                                       
|------------------------------- |  | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|98,371,658
76,785,976
1,903,401 |  | Subordinate Voting Shares outstanding
Multiple Voting Shares outstanding
Non-Voting Shares outstanding

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant by filing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the
information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act). If Yes is marked,
indicate the filing number assigned to the Registrant in connection with
such Rule.

|        |  |       
|------- |  | ------
|Yes   o |  | No   þ

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all
reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that
the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.





---



##### 



|        |  |       
|------- |  | ------
|Yes   þ |  | No   o





---



##### 



CANWEST GLOBAL COMMUNICATION CORP.
REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM 40-F

Documents Filed Pursuant to General Instructions

In accordance with General Instruction B (3) of Form 40-F, the Registrant
hereby files Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 as set forth in the Exhibit Index hereto.

In accordance with General Instruction D (9) of Form 40-F, the Registrant
hereby files Exhibit 3 as set forth in the Exhibit Index hereto.





---



##### 

TABLE OF CONTENTS



|                                                                        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 
|----------------------------------------------------------------------- |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 
|UNDERTAKING AND CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS                          
|SIGNATURES                                                             
|CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
|CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
|EXHIBIT INDEX                                                          
|ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM                                                
|MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS                                   
|CONSENT OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP                                  




UNDERTAKING AND CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS

Undertaking

Registrant undertakes to make available, in person or by telephone,
representatives to respond to inquiries made by the Commission staff, and to
furnish promptly, when requested to do so by the Commission staff, information
relating to: the securities registered pursuant to Form 40-F; the securities
in relation to which the obligation to file an annual report on Form 40-F
arises; or transactions in said securities.

Consent to Service of Process

Registrant filed an Appointment of Agent for Service of Process on Form
F-X concurrently with the filing of its Registration Statement on Form F-10 on
June 4, 1996.





---



##### 






SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Registrant certifies
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 40-F and has duly
caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereto duly authorized.

|                      |  |                                     |  |                                                                    
|--------------------- |  | ----------------------------------- |  | -------------------------------------------------------------------
|                      |  | CANWEST GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS CORP.
|                      |  |                                     |  |                                                                    
|                      |  |                                     |  |                                                                    
|Date: January 9, 2003 |  | By:                                 |  | /s/ John E. Maguire                                                
|                      |  |                                     |  |                                                                    
|                      |  |                                     |  | John E. Maguire
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer




CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Leonard Asper, certify that:

1.     I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of CanWest Global
Communications Corp.:

2.     Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this annual
report;

3.     Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this annual report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

4.     The registrants other certifying officers and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and
have:

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that
material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated
subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
during the period in which this annual report is being prepared;

b) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and
procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this annual
report (the Evaluation Date); and

c) presented in this annual report our conclusions about the effectiveness
of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the
Evaluation Date;

5.     The registrants other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based
on our most





---



##### 



recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of
registrants board of directors (and persons performing the equivalent
function):

a) all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
controls which could adversely affect the registrants ability to record,
process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the
registrants auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal controls;
and

6.     The registrants other certifying officers and I have indicated in this
annual report whether there were significant changes in internal controls or in
other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to
the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with
regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: January 9, 2003

/s/ Leonard Asper

---






CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, John Maguire, certify that:

1.     I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of CanWest Global
Communications Corp.:

2.     Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this annual
report;

3.     Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this annual report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

4.     The registrants other certifying officers and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and have:





---



##### 



a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that
material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated
subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
during the period in which this annual report is being prepared;

b) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and
procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this annual
report (the Evaluation Date); and

c) presented in this annual report our conclusions about the effectiveness
of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the
Evaluation Date;

5.     The registrants other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based
on our most recent evaluation, to the registrants auditors and the audit
committee of registrants board of directors (and persons performing the
equivalent function):

a) all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
controls which could adversely affect the registrants ability to record,
process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the
registrants auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal controls;
and

6.     The registrants other certifying officers and I have indicated in
this annual report whether there were significant changes in internal controls
or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls
subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective
actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: January 9, 2003

/s/ John Maguire

---





---



##### 






EXHIBIT INDEX

|        |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|------- |  | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Exhibit |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|Number  |  | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
|        |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|1.      |  | Annual Information Form for the year ended August 31, 2002                                                                                                                                                                                              
|        |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|2.      |  | Managements discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended August
31, 2002 and audited consolidated financial statements and the notes
thereto for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2002 and 2001, together
with the report of the auditors thereon
|        |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|3       |  | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP