By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Regina member of Parliament Andrew Scheer has asked the federal government to provide more information about the rationale and cost behind a registry of companies set up by the CRTC that is intended for them to contribute to the enrichment of Canadian content.
The former Conservative Party leader has tabled two sets of inquiries in the House of Commons Monday, with one requesting specifics as to the overall rationale for setting up the registry and how the commission arrived at the $10 million annual revenue threshold to include companies for possible regulation.
Under that set of questions, he also wants to know when the CRTC first notified Canadian Heritage that it was going to create the registry, what the penalties are for those who fail to register, how many entities the regulator expects to register, what safeguards are put in place to ensure the registry is not expanded or becomes more “intrusive” in the future, and what privacy protections are in place to ensure the information provided as part of registration is not misused.
Scheer also wants to know what the projected setup costs are associated with such a registry, what are the anticipated annual costs with its operation, and what are the contracts signed by the CRTC related to the work associated with the registry to this date.
The government has 45 days to respond to the inquiries, which can be delivered orally during debates or written if the material is extensive – the latter is more likely for this type of request.
Late last month, the CRTC set the $10 million annual revenue threshold for registration, which must be done by November 28.
The interim information collection requires entities to provide their basics like name, phone number, mailing and email addresses, what services they offer and out of where they are incorporated. The list of registrants will be publicly available.
There has been some controversy about the CRTC’s decision to include social media companies – not users – and podcast networks in the mix, which critics are concerned could put a chill on media investment in Canada.
The CRTC said in its decision that it believes collecting such information would provide it with a better view of the media landscape.
“The Commission recognizes that the requirement to register may need to be reviewed in the future once the Commission has collected sufficient information on these services, and once it has provided more clarity and resolved a variety of issues concerning these services,” it added.
