By Douglas Barrett
ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, the gathering of independent Canadian producers at the Banff World Media Festival woke up to an unpleasant surprise.
In a late-night session of the Canadian Heritage Committee (which Cartt.ca said could only be described as “chaotic”) as many as 150 amendments were considered to Bill C-11 and a 30-year-old provision in the principal policy section of the Broadcasting Act went from this:
(i) the programming provided by the Canadian broadcasting system should
(v) include a significant contribution from the Canadian independent production sector
to this:
(i) the programming provided by the Canadian broadcasting system should
(v) include the greatest possible contribution…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On Tuesday, the Senate transportation and communications committee heard pointed opposition to a bill that would give the CRTC the ability to further regulate the online realm to support Canadian content.
The committee is currently in a pre-study phase in its examination of Bill C-11, the highly contentious legislation that drew strict rebuke from witnesses Tuesday.
The first hour was devoted to former CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein and University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist. The first formally proposed specific amendments to various sections to narrow the scope of the bill.
“(…) I certainly do not agree…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications met to consider a draft agenda to conduct a pre-study of Bill C-11 during which it was agreed that the department of Canadian Heritage, the CRTC, Konrad von Finckenstein, Michael Geist and Pierre Trudel will be heard in the week of June 20 to 22.
The Department of Justice and the Privacy Commissioner were also mentioned.
Last night, the Heritage Committee finished clause-by-clause review of the bill, and today the chair reported the bill back to the House with amendments.
After it passes third reading,…
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OTTAWA – In a series of meetings yesterday that lasted past midnight and can only be described as chaotic, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage made it through clause-by-clause review of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and committee chair Hedy Fry reported the bill back to the House of Commons today with amendments.
Due to a motion passed in the House (which former Green Party leader and current MP Elizabeth May expressed disapproval of several times during the meetings), the committee had a limited amount of time in which to debate amendments. Two of three…
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By Bill Roberts
BANFF – One of the more nicely grounded sessions so far at the 2022 Banff World Media Festival (BWMF) featured Ian Scott (above, right), chairperson and CEO of the CRTC, and was moderated by Monika Ille (left), CEO of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. (APTN).
APTN has long been concerned that smaller broadcasters like theirs would be at risk under Bill C-11 because they do not possess the market clout to negotiate with online, streaming distributors without CRTC help.
So, it was a nice piece of meaningful and enlightened programming to have the accomplished and trilingual Ille in…
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THOSE WHO ARE CLOSELY following the approval process of the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications will know the outside date for closing the transaction was extended from March 15, 2022, to June 13, 2022, and was extended again last month to July 31, 2022.
So, we are already looking in the rear-view mirror at one (soon to be two) outside closing dates.
What is going on? A lot.
Competition Tribunal
Last month, the Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell filed an application to the Competition Tribunal seeking to block the merger. He also filed an application seeking…
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By Irene Berkowitz
BILL C-11, THE ONLINE STREAMING ACT, is Canada’s second attempt at modernizing media legislation. As many of us remember, in June 2021, its nearly identical predecessor, Bill C-10, failed to pass before Parliament dissolved.
Bill C-11’s progress through Parliament has been strategically plotted and the 2022 bill is likely to pass. However, since virtually every Canadian consumes media, every Canadian should know what’s been happening recently in Parliament.
For policy wonks like me who watch Parlvu, the Canadian Parliament webcast, recent episodes have been unforgettable. Twenty hours, May 24-June 2, of expert witness testimony to the…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
THE ONLINE NEWS ACT, recently introduced by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is explained on Canadian Heritage’s website as follows: “Digital platforms have come to play an integral role in Canada’s news ecosystem, shifting the way Canadians access news content that is vital to democracy. They can play an important role in supporting the production of trusted news and information.”
The basic underlying rationale is clear. Canadian news businesses, primarily newspapers, have been severely disrupted by the Internet. Their advertising market and classified ad market has gone online and newspapers’ financial viability is in great danger.
Online platforms do…
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OTTAWA – A motion was adopted in the House of Commons today to set a time limit on the debate of Bill C-18 to move it past the second reading stage.
If this sounds familiar it is because earlier this month, a motion was adopted to limit the time spent on second reading debate for Bill C-11. When the motion was passed for C-11, the bill had been debated in the House four times, whereas C-18 has been debated once.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez (above) argued this motion was needed because they have already seen the Conservatives…
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By Monica Auer
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is asking Canadians to trust the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement new legislation about electronic communications.
The CRTC is now responsible for implementing Canada’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts, Canada’s ‘Anti-Spam’ law as well as parts of the Canada Elections Act and the 2019 Accessible Canada Act: the government is proposing through Bills C-11 and C-18 to give the Commission more powers over Canadian and foreign Internet broadcasters as well as Canada’s news media, along with new authority to levy administrative monetary penalties for non-compliance with the CRTC’s requirements.
In February the government assured…
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