Musicians’ union demanding apology from Conservative Party MP for ‘defamatory comments’

Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) is calling for a public apology from Conservative MP Rachael Harder after she made what it said are “derogatory comments lobbied against Canadian musicians” while speaking to her local paper about proposed revisions to the Broadcasting Act. On June 4, the Lethbridge Herald published an article in which Harder expressed her concerns over Bill C-10 and, according to the CFM “singled out” Quebec musicians, “suggesting they manipulate the Liberal government to bring about funding for artistic projects because they are not otherwise able to make a living.” Her comments prompted the CFM, which is part of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada representing approximately 80,000 professional musicians, to issue a press release on Wednesday demanding an apology. It also wrote Harder an open letter on Monday. In Harder’s own words, quoted in the Herald, she stated that the cultural sector wants the Liberals to “charge these large streaming companies in order to bring about more money to put into these grant funds so these outdated artists can then apply for that money so they can continue to create material Canadians don’t want to watch.” Harder posted a Tweet on her account Monday, written in French, apologizing for her words. CFM did not specify in its release why it made another call for an apology and could not be reached for comment by deadline Wednesday. “Last week, I chose my words wrong when talking about some artists from Quebec. Here in Canada, all artists enrich our country and the Conservatives will always advocate for a level playing field. I apologize for my comments,” Harder posted Monday, according to a translation. Alan Willaert, Canadian vice-president of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, said in the release it is “clear” Harder “has no experience or actual data as to what artists are seeking to accomplish with Bill C-10.” “To degrade their contributions, to belittle and to suggest that their efforts are unworthy and unwanted is beyond comprehension and at the very least is worthy of an apology.” The Bloc Québécois was the only party to cooperate with the Liberals on Monday as the House of Commons moved (in a 187 -147 vote) to limit the Heritage Committee to five hours to complete its work on Bill C-10. The “gag order” came as Heritage Minister Steve Guilbeault and Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin said the Conservatives have been “filibustering” at the Heritage Committee meetings, where there has been an ongoing debate over the removal of a social media exemption from the bill which raised freedom of speech concerns for the opposition. Dabrusin read Harder’s media comment to the Heritage Committee at Monday morning’s meeting and said that she no longer believes the Conservative’s “filibustering” was about concerns over freedom of expression. Under Bill C-10, if passed, online undertakings will face regulatory obligations similar to existing radio and television policies. The CRTC’s regulation for social media websites was limited to just discoverability requirements and contributing financially to the Canadian cultural sector. “This bill is intended to level the playing field for musicians whose earning potential has been decimated by a system weighted to pay only the highest stream earners. Canadian musicians have the right to exercise their inalienable rights to fair compensation for both their work and intellectual property which has been severely effected by the imbalance of antiquated laws and big tech greed,” Willaert stated.

Musicians’ union demanding apology from Conservative Party MP for ‘defamatory comments’

Brief | June 9, 2021

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Musicians’ union demanding apology from Conservative Party MP for ‘defamatory comments’

Brief | June 9, 2021

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