Opposition grills Libs over definitive date on suicide hotline implementation, Online Streaming Act

Conservative MP and Heritage Critic John Nater accused the Liberals of “trying to use 20th-century rules to address the digital world of 2022” in its second attempt to update Canada’s Broadcasting Act. During Friday’s House of Commons question period, Nater criticized the Online Streaming Act, also known as Bill C-11, for delegating more power to the CRTC “for some future solution at some future time,” and asked why the government won’t instead give immediate support to Canadian broadcasters by abolishing the CRTC’s Part II licence fees (paid by certain licensed broadcasting undertakings). Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez skirted the question, and reiterated the points he made Wednesday when introducing the new act, saying previous concerns over social media broadcasting regulations were legitimate concerns which are now addressed. Nater shot back stating that Wednesday’s introduction of the proposed legislation was “like Groundhog Day… because the challenges that were in Bill C-10 are there again in Bill C-11.” “In the old Bill C-10, there was an exclusion for user-generated content, but then the Liberals excluded that exclusion in committee. This time, the exclusion for user-generated content is excluded by another exclusion,” he stated. Nater was referencing a section of the bill which excludes social media from the act but which then states that it “will not apply to social media services except for certain commercial programs, will never apply to programs that do not generate revenues. Wednesday, Rodriguez said “commercial programs and platforms” will be defined by revenue or if the content can be found on other streaming platforms. He said that amateur creators who generate revenue through video sponsorship or ads from social media sites, such as Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, will remain exempt and that it will only apply to “professional” music, movies or series. He added that there is no threshold for when a creator would be considered a professional, but rather whether or not the same content can be found on multiple platforms. “Why can the government not simply exclude user-generated content that is on social media, and protect Canadians in that way,” Nater asked Friday. Meanwhile, Conservative MP Mike Lake wants answers from the Liberal government regarding a definitive date for the implementation of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. “We have so much work to do together on mental health in this country, but this is a relatively easy first step. By what specific date will Canada finally have an operational three-digit 988 suicide prevention hotline?,” Lake asked the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett, Friday. The Edmonton—Wetaskiwin MP noted that it has been 420 days since Parliament passed a unanimous motion to take immediate action” to institute a nationwide three-digit 988 suicide prevention hotline. The motion declared that there was an “alarming rate of suicide in Canada” which consistued a national health crisis. According to Lake, a Google search will “eventually tell” Canadians that 1-833-456-4566 is the 24/7 number for the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, and urged the government to act quickly. “Since the December 2020 vote, more than 4,500 Canadians have tragically lost their lives to suicide,” he stated. Parliamentary secretary to the minister Élisabeth Brière, responding on behalf of Bennett, was unable to give a specific date on the implementation. She noted that the CRTC is still in the midst of its consultation process which was extended until March 2022 to accommodate additional interventions and formats more accessible to persons with disabilities. – Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca.

Opposition grills Libs over definitive date on suicide hotline implementation, Online Streaming Act

Broadcast | February 7, 2022

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Opposition grills Libs over definitive date on suicide hotline implementation, Online Streaming Act

Broadcast | February 7, 2022

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