Jesse Kline: C-11 will allow Liberals to control all that you see and hear online – National Post
Breadcrumb Trail Links
New legislation would bring streaming services, along with virtually all other audio-visual material transmitted over the internet, under the auspices of the Broadcasting Act
Publishing date:
Sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. These famous words used to usher in viewers of The Outer Limits, but they could more aptly describe the designs of the CRTC, the broadcasting regulator that Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government seems intent on putting in charge of anything that moves or makes a sound.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Like an episode of The Outer Limits, watching the current heritage committee hearings over Bill C-11 which would bring streaming services along with virtually all other audio-visual material transmitted over the internet under the auspices of the Broadcasting Act comes with a risk of a foreboding sense of dj vu.
The CRTC first alluded to its desire to regulate online streaming back in 2013. At the time, the idea was being pushed by Canadas big broadcasters, who were concerned about the threat posed by online competitors such as Netflix and justifiably worried that our outdated Canadian content (CanCon) rules put them at a competitive disadvantage vis-a-vis foreign companies who werent being forced to pay into the Canada Media Fund or buy substandard Canadian content to fill a quota.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
The proper solution has always been to stop forcing Canadian broadcasters to invest in domestic content that isnt financially viable just because it happens to tick enough of the CRTCs CanCon-certification boxes. But this would surely be met with significant backlash from Canadian filmmakers, who have spent decades happily milking their sheltered position, free from the constraints of competing for financing based on the merits of their projects.
Though the CRTCs initial push to regulate streaming ultimately went nowhere, in Canada, bad ideas rarely seem to die. And so, last spring, the Liberals revived the idea in the form of Bill C-10.
Granted, much had changed since 2013: the number of streaming services proliferated with large companies like Apple, Amazon and Disney entering the game and an increasing number of Canadians cut the proverbial cord.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Yet there still wasnt much of a case to be made for forcing Hollywood and Silicon Valley to abide by Ottawas outmoded CanCon rules, which were born out of a uniquely Canadian fear that the only thing preventing us from being culturally steamrolled by the Americans was a patchwork of draconian regulations and taxpayer subsidies.
Quite the opposite, in fact. The huge push for content by companies competing for digital subscribers has been a boon to Canadas film and television industry one can hardly watch a show on Netflix, Amazon or HBO without spotting a location in Toronto or Vancouver.
According to data from the Canadian Media Producers Association,the money spent on foreign productions here in Canada dwarfs what is spent on Canadian film and television content. In 2020, foreign location and service production was worth $5.25 billion, or 56 per cent of total Canadian film and television spending, and supported 139,310 jobs, compared to 81,180 for Canadian content.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Though it would seem counter-intuitive to disrupt a system that provides so many economic benefits, CanCon regulations are not intended to protect the Canadian film industry as a whole, but to ensure the right type of films get made i.e., the ones telling Canadian stories. Its basically a make-work project for Canadian producers, directors and screenwriters.
And yet, the reason Bill C-10 never became law is because the Liberals went one step further and proposed regulating all online audio-visual material, including videos uploaded to sites like YouTube and TikTok.
The backlash from social media users and amateur content creators was swift, and resulted in the heritage minister first promising to make it crystal clear that the content people upload on social media wont be considered as programming under the act, and then allowing the bill to die on the order paper.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Which makes it all the more puzzling why, when the Liberals reintroduced the legislation in the form of C-11, they once again chose to treat social media sites as if they were no different than cable companies or streaming services.
Judging by the testimony before the heritage committee over the past few weeks, these measures are opposed by both the sites themselves and the Canadians who share content on them. The only people who seem to support them are the Liberals and the usual crowd who think no industry should be free from the control of our benevolent overlords in Ottawa.
I wish I could tell you precisely how the legislation would affect those who share or consume user-generated media, but it appears as though even the government doesnt know for sure.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
When asked whether Sec. 4.2 of the act, which lists very broad criteria for what exactly would be considered a program for the purposes of regulation, would include content posted to social media, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez insisted it would not.Yet he was directly contradicted by Ian Scott, chair of the CRTC, who said that, 4.2 allows the CRTC to prescribe by regulation user uploaded content subject to very explicit criteria.
That very specific criteria includes content uploaded to an online undertaking that directly or indirectly generates revenues for a social media service. Given that sites such as YouTube make money from ads placed before videos, this could potentially encompass anything that is uploaded.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
But dont worry, because Scott insists the CRTC has no interest in regulating your cat videos,even though it will have the power to do so. It is not the focus of the CRTC, he said. We have lots of things to do. We dont need to start looking at user-generated content.
So there you have it. We just have to trust that this government, or any future government, will not abuse the extraordinary powers being granted to it. Just like we trusted the Liberals not to invoke an act intended for war or insurrection when a bunch of their ideological opponents decided to camp out in Ottawa. What could possibly go wrong?
One thing that is certain is that the legislation would force online undertakings (to) clearly promote and recommend Canadian programming and ensure that any means of control of the programming generates results allowing its discovery. In other words, it would compel services such as YouTube and Netflix to alter their algorithms to promote Canadian over international content a measure that even Canadian YouTubers dont seem to want.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Representatives from YouTube have argued that this will end up backfiring because the algorithm will be forced to recommend content that viewers have little interest in watching, which will make the system less likely to recommend those videos to others. While true, it is also the case that a company like Google could tweak its algorithm to account for this bias. But thats not really the point.
The larger problem is a government that thinks it has the right to dictate how a private companys software operates; a government that is so intent on giving its regulatory agency total control over the internet that it is insisting on putting provisions in the bill that prevented the legislation from passing last time around and its own regulator insists it doesnt have any interest in using.
But do not attempt to adjust the picture, for this is Canada, where the Liberals will control all that you see and hear.
National Postjkline@postmedia.comTwitter.com/accessd
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
The rest is here:
Jesse Kline: C-11 will allow Liberals to control all that you see and hear online - National Post
- Where are the Liberals When Iran Mass-Deports Millions of Afghans? - The European Conservative - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- The Supreme Courts Liberals Have an Impossible Task. One of Them Is Charting the Way. - Slate Magazine - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Opinion: The Liberals launch another expenditure review: This time, we mean it - The Globe and Mail - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Liberals could find out soon whether their rushed projects bill will spark another Idle No More - National Post - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wealthy White Liberals Reportedly Urge Democrats To Be Willing To Get Shot Opposing Trump - dailycaller.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Albertas PCs Might Rise from the Dead. Not the BC Liberals - The Tyee - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Cryo-liberals are still dishing up deranged delusions - The Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Wealthy White Liberals Reportedly Urge Democrats To Be Willing To Get Shot Opposing Trump - AOL.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Liberals, Conservatives, And Independents Form Initiative To Fight For Democracy And Freedom - thedailypoliticususa.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- How the Liberals are eroding workers Charter-protected rights - Canadian Dimension - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Liberals dont want Muslim women to demand rights in the Hindutva era. Theres no right time - ThePrint - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New polls show the Liberals opening large lead over the Conservatives - iPolitics - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Another Saturday Night - Liberals Are Patriotic! updated with how to help the central Texas flooding - Daily Kos - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Vancouver has a new civic party the Vancouver Liberals - Business in Vancouver - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Liberals Lose Trust on Health After 11 Years - Mirage News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Newsom warms to building, but will California liberals allow it? - Washington Examiner - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Liberals Are Declaring That The Fourth Of July Is Canceled This Year And Even Threatening To Sue People Who Celebrate For Emotional Damage - Whiskey... - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Peter Menzies: Justin Trudeaus legislative legacy is still haunting the Liberals - The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise. - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Opinion | Memo to liberals: Diversity can be conservative - The Washington Post - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Liberals Are Going to Keep Losing at the Supreme Court - The Atlantic - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Hollywood Liberals Slammed as 'Disgusting' for Bleating They Weren't Invited to Jeff Bezos 'Vulgar' Wedding - RadarOnline - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Forget female quotas, its mediocrity thats killing the Liberals - The Australian - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Fatal flaw of liberals is belief that being right is enough | Opinion - The News-Press - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Liberals want Americans to depend on government - Washington Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- If old school white-anting Sussan Ley on gender quotas works, the Liberals may pay a heavy political price - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- HUNTER: Have Liberals had their come-to-Jesus moment on crime? - Toronto Sun - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Random Musing: Why some Indian liberals are celebrating Zohran Mamdani and think he is the new Obama - Times of India - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Liberals In California Are Banning Books Again - The Daily Wire - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- 'Liberals need to reconnect with people's deep feelings of being disrespected,' sociologist says - Perspective - France 24 - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Threat of Trump should drive liberals from the middle ground | Opinion - The Portland Press Herald - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- If the Liberals want to appeal again to aspirational Australians, they could start by taxing wealth | Judith Brett - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Weekly Wrap: The Liberals must abandon their internet regulation agenda - The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise. - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Data breach may have exposed 200,000 home-care patients' information, say Ontario Liberals - Yahoo - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- M. imeka criticized the Slovak government after the summit of liberals in Brussels for not diversifying gas supplies - European Newsroom - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- ANALYSIS: David Petersons Liberals are remembering the good times. Ontarians should, too - TVO Today - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Carney Liberals urged to ditch DST as Trump terminates trade talks with Canada - Toronto Sun - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Martin Regg Cohn: History reminds Ontarios languishing Liberals that they need to make their own luck - Toronto Star - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Arab Journalists and Liberals Praise U.S. Strike On Iran: The Iranian Threat Is Over; Trump Saved Humanity; God Bless America - MEMRI | Middle East... - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Conservatives report better mental health than liberals. I think I know why. | Opinion - USA Today - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Federal Liberals reintroduce cybersecurity bill meant to protect critical infrastructure - The Globe and Mail - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Threat of Trump should drive liberals from the middle ground | Opinion - Lewiston Sun Journal - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Opinion: The Tory future may lie with the Liberals - Winnipeg Free Press - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- FIRST READING: All the hidden extras buried in the Liberals fast-tracked omnibus bills - National Post - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Battin wants to reset and to rally Liberals behind taxes, housing and crime - Neos Kosmos - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Chaos over withdrawal of EU law against greenwashing. Last trialogue skips, anger of socialists and liberals - Eunews - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Libman: Quebec Liberals gamble on Rodriguez. Will voters? - Montreal Gazette - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Hunger strikes! Tears! Arrest! Its been a week of ridiculous performances as NYC liberals chase folk-hero status - New York Post - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- The Trump Peace Prize? Matt Gaetz suggests renaming honor they only give to liberals - AL.com - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Victorias Liberals saved John Pesutto from bankruptcy. But can they save themselves from all-out war? - The Guardian - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Q+A | Outgoing Yukon premier highlights renewed energy in Yukon Liberals with new leader - Yahoo - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Trump Complains He Should Have Won FIVE Nobel Prizes By Now But They Only Give Them To Liberals - Mediaite - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Putins biggest threat is not from liberals but the nationalist Right - The Telegraph - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Obama swipes at affluent liberals during rare public remarks, says 'all of us are going to be tested' - Fox News - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Swedens Liberals bet to revive a sinking party - Euractiv - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- They Hate Our Country The Right-Wings Accusation Towards Liberals - Daily Kos - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- BREAKING: Yukon Liberals select Mike Pemberton as their new leader and the territory's next premier - Yukon News - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Andr Pratte: Pablo Rodriguez has won over the Quebec Liberals. That was the easy part - National Post - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Why liberals ignored the grooming gang scandal - The Spectator - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Liberals to pass major projects bill this week with Conservative support - National Post - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Liberals Pushing Through Law That Expands Governments Power - The Tyee - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Liberals major projects bill on track to pass before House rises for summer - iPolitics - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Yukon Liberals to choose new leader tonight - 96.1 The Rush - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- MAGA World and liberals have turned on Musk as Trump divorce turns friends to foe - The Independent - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- The Occupation Is Destroying Israel From Within, and Liberals Can't Ignore It Anymore - Haaretz - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- 15 Liberals And Conservatives Are Sharing The Political Opinions They Hold That Align With The Opposite Party - Yahoo - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- How are the Liberals of Bradfield coping with their loss? | Fiona Katauskas - The Guardian - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- 15 Liberals And Conservatives Are Sharing The Political Opinions They Hold That Align With The Opposite Party - BuzzFeed - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Liberals and Conservatives in Canada split on Mark Carney and the country's direction after the election - YouGov - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Moderate Liberals say the party has a choice be a far-right rump run by octogenarians or move to the centre - The Guardian - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Chris Selley: Liberals wrap much-needed refugee reform in a terrible privacy-invading package - National Post - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- 7 Things: Trump and Musk are going at it; Tuberville taunts liberals; angry mob demands MTG stay out of HSV; and more... - Yellowhammer News - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- How a little-known procedure helped the Liberals dodge their first confidence vote - National Post - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Supporters of John Pesutto question Victorian Liberals priorities over reluctance to bail out former leader - The Guardian - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Globe editorial: The Liberals get around to fixing the thing they broke - The Globe and Mail - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- As John Pesutto faces bankruptcy, the Victorian Liberals struggle to unite - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Liberals survive confidence vote, as throne speech motion passes through House - iPolitics - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Liberals introduce bill to cut trade barriers, speed up 'nation-building' infrastructure - Yahoo - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Wave of anger could sweep liberals to victory in South Korea election - Reuters - June 4th, 2025 [June 4th, 2025]
- Liberals lead debate on the future of European security in Helsinki - ALDE Party - June 4th, 2025 [June 4th, 2025]
- Milk Act to Bike Month: How Liberals are trying to slow Bill 5 with 4,000 amendments - Global News - June 4th, 2025 [June 4th, 2025]