Cheers, jeers, as streaming act becomes law

After months of contentious debate, Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, has become law. The Senate voted 52-16 on third reading Thursday. Shortly thereafter, Governor-General Mary Simon gave it Royal Assent. The victory after the lengthy parliamentary process was celebrated by the minister who shepherded the legislation throughout. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez expected the bill to be adopted weeks ago. Part of the delay was a series of amendments attached to the act when it was in the Senate. The government rejected those proposals. “Today we are standing up for our stories, our artists, our producers and our creators,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “We’re standing up so that Canadians have even more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and listen to.” Administering the provisions of the bill will be the purview of the CRTC. Chair Vicky Eatrides issued a statement celebrating the passage of the Act. “The CRTC will establish a modernized regulatory framework where all players contribute equally,” she stated. “The broadcasting system will ensure that online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and indigenous content. Creators will have opportunities to tell their stories and Canadians will have access to a greater variety and diversity of content.” She repeated the government’s oft-stated position that creators of user-generated content would not be subject to the new regulations. The Directors Guild of Canada hailed the passage as the greatest step forward to modernize broadcasting in Canada in three decades. It will help finance the expansion of the Canadian cultural sector. DGC president Warren Sonada wants the government to take one more step in the process. “As we head towards the cabinet’s policy direction to the CRTC, we hope the minister will commit to filling pending vacancies at the commission with those who represent the views of creatives and creators,” he was quoted as saying in a news release. “Creators must have a seat at the table as the new act makes meaningful to how their work is financed.” The Canadian Media Producers Association similarly praised the adoption of the Online Streaming Act. “It took 30 years before the Broadcasting Act was updated,” president and CEO Reynolds Mastin said in a statement. “Since we don’t know when this opportunity will present itself again, it’s important that we get it right.” Also looking ahead was the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. “We urgently need a new regulatory framework that reflects the realities of the modern media landscape and creates a fair and equitable marketplace for Canada’s broadcasters vis-a-vis vastly larger and currently unregulated foreign digital competitors,” CAB president Kevin Desjardins remarked in a news release. Not all stakeholders were shouting hallelujah at the bill’s passage. Lobby group OpenMedia continued its longstanding denunciation of the act. “User audiovisual content–the TikToks and podcasts you upload–can now be regulated as broadcasting by the CRTC under C-11,” campaigns director Matt Hatfield maintained in a statement. “And the CRTC can overrule your feeds and search results to show you content they consider officially ‘Canadian’. We’re tremendously disappointed.” Hatfield held out hope that Rodriguez’ policy direction to the commission would alleviate some of OpenMedia’s concerns. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca.

Cheers, jeers, as streaming act becomes law

Broadcast | April 28, 2023

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Cheers, jeers, as streaming act becomes law

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