A Quick Reminder About What Bill C-11 Will Actually Do
Countering misleading claims from Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez can be a full-time job.
Bill C-11, the online streaming bill that could become law as soon as next week. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who has played fast and loose with the truth about the bill for months, is concluding the bill’s Parliamentary journey with widely misleading information about its impact that must be called out.
This tweet from Heritage Minister @pablorodriguez comes as the government hopes to wrap up Bill C-11 and its rejection of the Senate fix to user content regulation. Hard to overstate how misleading it is, but I’ll try. There are 5 claims to unpack: 1/7
Pablo Rodriguez @pablorodriguez
Bill C-11 Claim 1: “platforms pay their fair share”
Reality: Platforms already are among the biggest investors in Canadian film/TV production. The problem is Cancon rules treat films like Turning Red or Jusqua’au as non-Canadian based on ownership. 2/7
Michael Geist @mgeist
Bill C-11 Claim 2: “support next generation of Canadian artists"
Reality: The bill may hurt new Canadian artists the most. Many are successful digital creators who risk being harmed by CRTC regulation. Even the Senate was convinced of problem. 3/7
Bill C-11 Claim 3: “create good jobs for Canadians in the cultural sector"
Reality: The sector has enjoyed huge success in recent years. The largest entertainment workers union told committee streamers/studios are the largest employer in the sector. 4/7
Michael Geist @mgeist
Bill C-11 Claim 4: Lift up indigenous and diverse voices to tell their stories.
Reality: Indigenous creators left a meeting with @pablorodriguez staff feeling gaslit and disrespected. Their concerns with Bill C-11 were dismissed. 5/7
My favourite podcast, The Last American Vagabond, provided vital journalism (backed up with peer-reviewed studies) throughout the past 3 years of Covid-1984.
Thanks to courageous journalism like TLAV, a large percentage of Canadians are fully aware of the crimes committed by the Canadian Government against the citizenry.
The narrative had collapsed back in late summer of 2021 but the truth is being smothered via algorithmic censorship.
Will Bill C-11 prevent me from viewing The Last American Vagabond?
Should Canadians consider charging Minister Pablo Rodriguez with treason?