Minister of Heritage Pablo Rodriguez responds to a question during a session at the Canadian Media Producers Association Prime Time conference, Thursday, February 2, 2023 in Ottawa. The Liberal government's controversial Online Streaming Act is one step closer to passing after the House of Commons approved most of the Senate's amendments to the bill. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The Liberal government’s controversial online-streaming bill is one step closer to passing after the House of Commons approved most of the Senate’s amendments to the proposed legislation.
If passed, Bill C-11 would update broadcasting rules to include online streaming and require tech giants such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify to make Canadian content available to users here – or face steep penalties.
On Thursday evening, the House agreed to adopt many of the Senate’s amendments that highlight the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators.
However, Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs rejected a key amendment that YouTube advocated for, which was worded to add further protections to people who upload videos on YouTube.
The proposed law has come under intense scrutiny amid accusations from companies and critics who said it left too much room for government control over user-generated content and social-media algorithms.
As the House now awaits the Senate’s support for the bill to pass, the Liberal government continues to insist the bill won’t regulate everyday content creators.
“The Senate made meaningful contributions to the legislative process, and as a result, Bill C-11 has been improved,” Sen. Marc Gold, the government representative in the Senate, said in a statement.
“I am optimistic that a majority of senators will accept the decision made by the elected chamber,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2023.
