Federal Tories continue to fight Bill C-10

Bill C-10 is currently working it way through the usual legislative steps in Ottawa to be passed into law.

The Bill is listed as ‘An act to amend the broadcasting act and to make related and consequential amendments to other acts.’

On the Canada parliament website the bill is described as;

The bill modernizes the Broadcasting Act (the Act) to bring businesses that provide audio or audiovisual content online within its scope. It also amends broadcasting and regulatory policies in order to provide accessible programming and to ensure that the various segments of Canada’s population, for example Indigenous people, racialized communities and people of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds, are represented. In addition, the bill modifies the mandate and powers of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CRTC will have more flexibility to enforce regulations.

The bill began its process through Ottawa in November of 2020 and has been hit with stiff opposition from the Conservatives. Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola MP Dan Albas stated that despite the Liberals and Bloc working to pass the legislation the opposition is continuing to pursue changes.

“Originally the bill had section 4.1 which clearly exempted user generated content, we have tried many times to reinsert that. The Justice Department had issued a charter statement that with the section 4.1 that peoples charter rights were largely protected. When the government supported by the Bloc, moved to remove that immediately raised that concern,” said Albas.

“Free expression is how we protect free speech. Its how we protect those rights that we have as Canadians. We don’t want to see unelected bureaucrats at the CRTC have the power to decide whether or not ‘A’ your video should be allowed to be uploaded to YouTube or subject to discoverability where again you may be place prominently or be pushed so far to the back you might be censored,” added Albas.

As Bill C-10 has entered the mainstream in recent months, Albas says his office has been getting flooded with emails and calls from constituents.

“The government is intending to treat over the top services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and actually we found out now everything from podcasts to what is put up on YouTube, to regulate them under the broadcast act,” said Albas.

“The Liberals have basically put our charter rights, our freedom of expression, section 2B, at risk as well as comprise our long-standing policy on net neutrality,” added Albas.

The Conservatives under Erin O’Toole have promised, if elected, to repeal Bill C-10 should it eventually be passed into law.