Canada Online Streaming. Representational image by Nicolas Lb on Unsplash
Ottawa/CMEDIA: A controversial government bill Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, making changes to Canada’s Broadcasting Act, to regulate streaming services passed the final hurdle in the Senate and received royal assent Thursday.
“Today, we are standing up for our stories…Canadians have even more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and listen to…ensuring that Canada’s incredible talent has a bigger and brighter stage online…contribute to our economy, and they make our culture…strong, diverse and unique…our stories matter and our artists who tell them matter,” Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has said in a news release.
Apart from streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify, to pay to support Canadian media content like music and TV shows, the legislation also requires the platforms to promote Canadian content.
“This is the first major reform to the Broadcasting Act since 1991…support Canadian creators and storytellers by increasing investment in Canadian culture and supporting jobs in the industry, while ensuring that Canadian culture continues to be shared with generations to come,” a news release has said.
Broadcasters are required right now to spend at least 30 percent of their revenue on supporting Canadian content.
“The Online Streaming Act requires streaming services to contribute to the creation, production and distribution of Canadian stories in a way that is flexible and fair…lead to a modern definition of Canadian Content that better reflects our country’s diversity.” a news release has said,
Broad powers over digital media companies, including the ability to impose financial penalties for violations of the act are being granted by these changes to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and Canada’s broadcast regulator.
Although the bill has been slammed by the Conservatives as an attack on freedom of expression, the Canadian government says the legislation facilitates imposition of the same regulations and requirements in place for traditional broadcasters on online media platforms.
Much of the criticism of the bill by the Conservatives and tech companies has been dismissed as inaccurate by Rodriguez, C-11’s sponsor.
The bill followed a difficult journey through Parliament. Nearly a year after Rodriguez tabled the legislation in the House of Commons in February 2022, the Senatsent C-11 back to the House of Commons with amendments.
While most of the amendments were accepted by the House, some were rejected.
A Senate amendment accepted by the House of Commons requires the CRTC to hold public consultations on how it will use its new regulatory powers.
A lack of clarity and uncertainties in practicing the bill would reportedly be clarified through the Canadian Government’s policy directive to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
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