What is going on with Bill C-11, the government's online streaming legislation?
CTV
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing.
However, standing between the Liberals and getting this contentious commitment to the finish line is a potential legislative showdown, after senators made 26 amendments to 12 clauses of the 56-page bill following the longest study ever conducted at a Senate committee, according to the Senate clerk.
The legislation needs to pass the third reading stage in the upper chamber, but then the bill is destined to be sent back to the House of Commons due to the changes made. From there, the minister responsible for Bill C-11—Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez—will have to decide what amendments he's ready to live with, which could spark some parliamentary back and forth between the chambers before a final version is settled on.
"We'll review the final version with all proposed amendments. At the end of the day, this bill is about making sure streaming platforms that benefit from broadcasting to Canadians contribute to our culture," said the minister's press secretary Laura Scaffidi in an email to CTVNews.ca.
Throughout its efforts to update Canada's Broadcasting Act regime, the government has remained adamant that Bill C-11 is focused on ensuring social media and streaming giants are subjected to Canadian content requirements and regulations comparable to traditional broadcasters, and as a result promote and pay their fair share towards Canadian creators.
This insistence has come in the face of alarms being sounded by certain industry voices, the Conservative party, and platforms such as YouTube, Google and Meta, which have suggested that the Liberal proposal could have knock-on effects for user-generated content and content creators, as well as free-speech implications. In their efforts to lobby against this bill, some of the tech giants have gone to great lengths.
For example, this fall, YouTube ran a campaign warning users who earn money making videos about how the legislation could impact their livelihoods.
