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The Canadian government has, for decades, required TV and radio broadcasters to produce and distribute local content, as a way of preserving Canada’s own culture and limiting the influence of U.S. culture which permeates so much of the media that Canadians consume. That influence is seen as a powerful “cultural invasion…that can steamroll any culture on the planet.”
Unlike the United States where six major corporations control over 90 percent of the media, there are regulations barring international media companies, such as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, from owning newspapers or TV stations in Canada. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission certifies whether content is Canadian or not, and can levy hefty fines and suspend broadcasters’ licenses.
Now, as reported 22 June by BNNBloomberg.ca, a new bill has been proposed by the Justin Trudeau administration that would similarly regulate internet-based media, such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok and social platforms like Facebook.
Do What I Want
Justin Trudeau, as we noted in our November 2020 article, “GREAT RESET: NEW WORLD ORDER,” would like to “reimagine economic systems that actually address global challenges like extreme poverty, inequality, and climate change.”
The bill, known as Bill C-10 or the Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act, would subject digital media companies to three requirements: such companies must provide information about their sources of revenue; they must contribute a portion of their profits to a fund supporting Canadian content; and they must increase the visibility or “discoverability” of Canadian content.
Thus the question: “Does Legally-Mandated Prioritization Constitute Censorship?
Critics say that YouTube would be especially vulnerable to the “discoverability” aspect because so much of its content is user-generated. Proponents say the new regulations don’t constitute censorship, because users would not be blocked from posting, but critics counter that arbitrarily prioritizing and de-prioritizing content constitutes government control over speech. YouTube is basing its opposition to the new law on the complexity of defining and qualifying what is Canadian content.
Les Québécois Aiment L’idée
The bill has wide support in Quebec, where the largely French-speaking inhabitants of that province are concerned with protecting their culture; the Bloc Quebecois, a party that advocates for Quebec independence, assisted the Trudeau administration in pushing the new bill. Anything that panders to French culture can generate significant political capital in Canada.
Others across Canada, labeled “conservatives” by the media, oppose the bill which is said to have been inspired by similar laws in place in Europe, where the E.U. requires digital platforms to prioritize local content.
TRENDPOST: The Trudeau government would also like the power to tax digital services at 3 percent of their Canadian revenue, as well as to force social media platforms to underwrite Canadian news programs. And there are plans to crack down on online “hate speech.” But all this, including Bill C-10’s passage into law, is contingent on Trudeau’s Liberal Party staying in power, and an election later this year could change that.