The Trudeau government is trying it’s hardest to ram through Internet censorship laws which would be equivalent to the Great Internet Firewall of China. Canadians are opposed to the federal government regulating Internet content.
Consumers, not the Liberal government, should decide what is appropriate to watch, according to federal pollsters.
“The federal government should not be responsible for regulating content for Canadian audiences,” said the report. The April 22 report was completed as cabinet prepared for debate on Bill C-11 An Act To Amend The Broadcasting Act.
The bill would grant the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) power to regulate “commercial” Internet content such as videos and music the same way it regulates TV and Radio, According to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Commercial” is not defined in the legislation which Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez admits “Commercial” is not defined in the legislation during a Bill C-11, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, June 6, 2022
“Discussing whether they felt the Government of Canada should play a role in regulating non-user generated content on major digital platforms such as Netflix or Spotify, most participants felt these decisions should primarily be left to the viewer or listener,” said the report.
“While a small number were in favour of establishing some regulations, particularly those geared towards ensuring greater fairness for Canadian content creators and promoting and protecting Canadian stories, most felt it was the responsibility of the consumer to determine the type of content they wished to engage with regardless of its country of origin,” said the report.
The research was based on interviews with Canadians in six focus groups held in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Québec. The Strategic Counsel completed the report as part of a $2.4 million contract for continuous polling on public issues.
“This Act does not apply to what individual Canadians and creators post online,” Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, told reporters on February 2. The controversial bill is currently before the Senate transport and communications committee.
Rodriguez earlier called regulation of Netflix and YouTube videos an “absolute priority” for cabinet. “We have very little time,” he said. “I cannot overstate the urgency of this. The bill must move ahead.” A similar Bill C-10 lapsed in the last Parliament.
Bill C-11’s opponents warn that the measure sets a precedent for monitoring privately intended internet communication such as direct messages on Whatsapp, Telegram and other messaging platforms, that is currently unregulated. In a submission to the Commons heritage committee, the Canadian chapter of the Internet Society stated that “C-11 is based on the tragic illusion all audio and audio-visual content on the internet is a program and that any person who transmits a program on the internet is a broadcaster rather than a communicator,”
“It fails to differentiate between a podcast produced in a residential basement and a major release motion picture on Netflix,” wrote the Internet Society. “Internet streaming services are simply not broadcasting,” it added.
