By Douglas Barrett
AS BILL C-11 WENDS its stately way though the legislative process, one issue crops up that has seemingly not been batted about before in the context of the new legislation. And it’s a pretty basic one: the definition of a Canadian program.
Both the current Broadcasting Act and Bill C-10 authorized the CRTC to determine by regulation “what constitutes a Canadian program for the purposes of the Act.” In a new approach, Bill C-11 in section 10(1.1) requires that in making such regulations the Commission “shall consider” five specific policy questions. As many as three of those questions,…
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CRTC confirmed as intended regulator
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez (above) today introduced Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which would put in place a framework to level the playing field in the Canadian digital news marketplace and ensure news media and journalists are fairly compensated for their work.
“Bill C-18 would require tech giants to make fair commercial deals with outlets for the news and information that is shared on their platforms,” a government press release announcing the bill explains.
“The deals would need to provide fair compensation, respect journalistic independence and invest…
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Also urges everyone to keep the C-11 debate “on facts”
By Amanda OYE
MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE Pablo Rodriguez (above, right) wants his daughter to grow up with Canadian music and Canadian productions – and the newly announced Bill C-11 can help ensure this, he said today, during a fireside chat on the final day of the Canadian Media Producers Association’s Prime Time conference.
Rodriguez joined Erin Haskett (above left), president and executive producer at Lark Productions, for a conversation that addressed a range of topics including the importance of Bill C-11 (also known as the Online Streaming Act), and gave…
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OTTAWA — Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez (above) announced today the federal government will hold a two-day national summit in Ottawa on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2022, with members of the arts, culture and heritage sectors to discuss their recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our artists and creators were hit hard by the pandemic. But they did not give up and continued to make us laugh, cry, and dream,” said Rodriguez, in a government press release.
“We’ve been there for them from the beginning and now it’s time to have a national conversation about how to rebuild our…
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By Denis Carmel
With the Conservatives appointing their so-called shadow cabinet, the list of critics is now complete.
As with cabinet, these appointments seem to defy rationality but the portfolios we are focused on are not front bench appointments, so we have to be careful in our analysis.
Conservatives: Major changes and focus on the parliamentary joust
Alain Rayes was moved to official languages, but mostly as Québec lieutenant – a promotion up from Heritage.
To replace him, we see the young Ontario MP, John Nater. Although it can be seen as strange, we see that he is quite versed in parliamentary procedure, so…
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Staff changes also made at Canadian Heritage
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has officially announced his new(ish) Cabinet.
In a ceremony at Rideau Hall Tuesday, Trudeau appointed Pablo Rodriguez as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Rodriguez was government house leader until dissolution and had been Heritage Minister between 2018 and 2019. His predecessor, Stephen Guilbeault, is now the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Rodriguez is the third (or fourth if you count his previous passage) Heritage Minister to come from Montréal.
Trudeau also appointed Gudie Hutchings from Newfoundland and Labrador as Minister of Rural Economic Development. The Prime…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – As his Liberal government begins its third mandate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could either fill key cabinet roles in Heritage and Industry with fresh faces or stick with the status quo – as he has already by leaving in place Chrystia Freeland as deputy prime minister and finance minister, according to Parliament Hill watchers.
Sheila Copps, a former deputy PM who served as minister of the newly created department of Canadian Heritage from 1996 to 2003, would like new leaders recruited for her old job and to head Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
Her…
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GATINEAU — The Government of Canada announced today it is seeking input from the public and other stakeholders on the best approach to ensuring fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and Canadian news media.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault also released a discussion paper today that highlights perspectives raised in the government’s initial engagement on the issue.
Earlier this year, the Department of Canadian Heritage sent out a questionnaire to a number of publishers, broadcasters, platforms, academics, unions, journalist associations and organizations, asking for feedback on two proposed approaches to how the revenues of digital platforms could be shared…
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OTTAWA and MONTREAL — Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault today announced continued support for the arts and culture industries, with the announcement of a $300-million recovery fund for arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors and a $200-million reopening fund, with funding to be distributed over the next two years.
Only a portion of that money will go toward supporting movie and TV productions and independent broadcasters.
In a press release, Telefilm Canada said it “enthusiastically welcomes” today’s announcement from Canadian Heritage, saying Telefilm will administer $25 million over two years to support exhibitors across the country to recover…
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TORONTO — Music rights management organization SOCAN announced today 24 Canadian visionaries will be recognized at this year’s SOCAN Awards for the roles they played in helping to raise the stature of music made in Canada.
“Fifty years ago, they understood the need to protect and amplify Canadian music, giving rise to Cancon. These trailblazers will be awarded the SOCAN Guardian Award for their efforts in preserving and boosting Canadian culture,” reads SOCAN’s press release.
At a time when home-grown music was often considered inferior to foreign records dominating the charts, making it difficult for Canadian artists to get airtime on…
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