Heritage committee restores Canadian ownership to C-10

The House of Commons Heritage committee has reinstated language protecting Canadian ownership into the Broadcasting Act after industry stakeholders raised concerns over its removal from Bill C-10. The committee met last Friday and Monday to make clause-by-clause amendments to the bill. The current version of the act, which came into force in 1991, states that “the Canadian Broadcasting system shall be effectively owned and controlled by Canadians.” When the article was deleted in the first draft of Bill C-10, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting executive director Daniel Bernhard, along with other industry stakeholders, criticized the bill for failing to prioritize Canadian ownership of media at previous hearings. “We want to make room for the foreign players, to increase choice, and we want to reflect the fact that they're already here. However, we don't need to invite them to take over the existing infrastructure and dominate it. If there is a takeover bid, for example, of certain Canadian broadcasters and Canadian ownership is not a policy objective in the act, on what basis would the CRTC say no, this is not okay?” Bernhard stated before the committee at its March 22 hearing. All parties brought forward varying motions to the committee to reinstate Canadian ownership into the revised act. Green Party MP Paul Manly’s amendment to add an article stating that the broadcasting system shall be effectively owned and controlled by Canadians was first to be put on the table. “We live beside the largest media conglomerate in the world, the United States, and we have kept our national identity and our cultural sovereignty by maintaining control and ownership of our broadcasting system effectively by Canadians,” he said. Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin shot down his amendment stating it “doesn't recognise that what this bill is trying to do is to bring in foreign online streamers, which do not have Canadian ownership.” She noted that while the intent behind the amendment was in the right place, it “in fact just reverts us back to the old way of the bill, working without taking into account the new circumstances that we're in.” Because the Green Party is not a full-time member of the committee, it cannot vote on motions. It may only put motions on the floor and engage in debate. As a result, the motion was unanimously defeated. Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux’s amendment to add an article to the bill stating that “the Canadian broadcasting system shall be effectively owned and controlled by Canadians and foreign online undertakings may also provide programming to Canadians,” with a sub-article that “each broadcasting undertaking shall contribute,” was next in-line for discussion. Heritage's director general of broadcasting, copyright and creative marketplace Thomas Owen Ripley explained to the committee that there was concern that the wording “online” could create potential implications for traditional foreign undertakings, like CNN, which are already providing programming to Canadians and are authorised for distribution in Canada by the CRTC. Following that discussion, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather successfully sub-amended the Bloc Québécois amendment to read “the Canadian Broadcasting system shall be effectively owned and controlled by Canadians and foreign broadcast undertakings may also provide programming to Canadians.” The modified motion passed with unanimous consent. Revisions of Bill C-10 will continue on Friday. Once the final bill passes, it will be up to the CRTC to determine the precise regulations within nine months of receiving an order-in-council from the government. -Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

Heritage committee restores Canadian ownership to C-10

Broadcast | April 20, 2021

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Heritage committee restores Canadian ownership to C-10

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