By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Experts designated by each party visited the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Monday to further discussing Bill C-10, the legislation which aims to modernize the Broadcasting Act.
The work of the committee has been at a standstill since April 30, and today’s discussion, which was often centred around freedom of expression and whether C-10 will impact what Canadians post on social media, gave little hope that the clause-by-clause consideration process, which should be the bulk of the committee’s work at this stage would resume anytime soon.
The experts are well known: Michael Geist, Canada research chair…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – During its May 10th meeting, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Committee all agreed to invite the Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Justice to its next meeting, once a revised Charter statement on Bill C-10’s conformity with the Canadian Charter of Rights would be produced, and to suspend the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill until that happened.
Well, the Charter statement was produced, it said the partly examined C-10 is just fine, and the Minister of Canadian Heritage showed up for questioning on Friday. However, the Minister of Justice, David Lametti turned down his…
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But we have a question about “unaffiliated users”
By Greg O’Brien
OTTAWA – On the day before Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and senior members of the federal Department of Justice face the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to talk about Bill C-10, Heritage officials have released the new Charter statement, which says, in a nutshell, it’s fine.
Those following the C-10 saga over the past two weeks will recall the committee removed a section of the proposed bill, s. 4.1, which originally exempted social media companies from broadcasting regulation under the new Broadcasting Act, should C-10, which aims to amend that Act,…
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COMMUNITY MEDIA’S LOW-COST participatory model has the potential to address both the crisis in local news and information, and the proliferation of fake news. Yet this sector has been relegated to a sidebar in discussions to reform Canada’s broadcasting system.
When Paul Manly of the Green Party and others recently put forward an amendment to clarify that community media Is not-for-profit, it was rejected by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
The concern raised was that giving recognition to “not-for-profit” community broadcasting might somehow imperil giant for-profit cable and satellite corporations.
The 1991 Broadcast Act recognizes three distinct elements: private, public…
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TORONTO — ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, and the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) are adding their voices to the chorus of content creators who are calling for Bill C-10, which aims to amend the Broadcasting Act, to be passed.
“Following a week of debate amongst Canadian Heritage Committee members about Bill C-10, an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act, ACTRA is now urging all parties to put politics aside and pass Bill C-10,” reads a press release released today by ACTRA.
“The Broadcasting Act in its current form is outdated. It does not…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On Monday, the Members of the Heritage Committee approved a motion they had voted down previously as the Liberals on the committee compromised and opened the meeting with a proposal to back down and wait on hearing from the Justice Minister.
When a firestorm erupted after the removal by the Liberals of Section 4.1, which exempted social media platforms from Bill C-10, the legislation intended to modernize the Broadcasting Act, the Conservatives proposed to suspend the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill until a new Charter statement from the Justice Minister could be produced. Such a…
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Second Charter review stalled by Conservative filibustering
By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Fraught by fears of stifling constitutionally protected freedoms, Bill C-10 could undergo a second review to ensure that the proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act are compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
At the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Friday, Liberal member Anthony Housefather presented a motion that would ask Justice Minister David Lametti “to provide a revised Charter statement on Bill C-10, as soon as possible, focusing on whether the committee’s changes to the bill related to programs uploaded by users of social…
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Resumption of clause-by-clause consideration met by stalling tactics
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a quickly scheduled evening meeting the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage resumed its review of the content of individual sections of Bill C-10, which aims to amend the Broadcasting Act.
Right away the committee went back to the discussion over whether the amended bill complies with the Charter of Rights.
The first hour featured an overlong speech (a classic filibuster) from Conservative MP Rachel Harder, about the importance of the Charter of Rights compliance for the bill being studied. She may have a point, but the stalling tactic angered…
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MONTREAL and WINNIPEG – The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, said this week it “deplores” the delay of the clause-by-clause study of Bill C-10 to amend the Broadcasting Act.
The coalition which includes creative associations such as ADISQ, ACTRA, CMPA, SOCAN and WGC, among others, “urges all members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage committee to agree to resume the study of the bill promptly,” reads its press release.
“Without a rapid resumption of this work, the entire fate of Bill C-10 is at stake. And without the immediate implementation of this bill, the entire Canadian cultural…
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By Brad Danks and Luc Perreault
AS WE WRITE, BILL C-10, An Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act, is stalled in committee at clause-by-clause review. Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage are asking the bill to be suspended pending a Charter analysis from the Department of Justice and an appearance from the Ministers of Justice and Canadian Heritage.
They say that an amendment made to the bill – removing a social media exclusion in proposed section 4.1 – is a substantial change and Canadians’ freedom of expression is at stake.
The Liberals say they are prepared to request a…
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