On the Proposed Amendments to the Broadcasting Act
After a long wait, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has tabled a bill to amend the Broadcasting Act. Here's what we think of it.
The Broadcasting Act was last amended in 1991, but even though the internet was not front of mind back then, the law was written in a very flexible way that accommodates technological change.
The 1991 Act allowed the CRTC to govern streaming services like Netflix but the CRTC declined to do so. As a result, streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify have been allowed to make billions of dollars in Canada without having to contribute to the creation of Canadian stories.
This new Act was supposed to eliminate ambiguity and bring foreign internet broadcasters into our system once and for all, but it doesn't. Here's our take.

Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Canadian Heritage
Steven Guilbeault succeeded Pablo Rodriguez as Minister of Canadian Heritage in 2019. Minister Guilbeault's mandate includes the CBC and other critical cultural institutions.

Les géants du Web
Also known as FANG (an acronym for Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google), these foreign billionaire companies are amongst the most profitable in the world. Ottawa has given them a free pass on several obligations for years, allowing them not to collect taxes or to contribute to our cultural landscape.

Social Media Platforms
Online platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter profit immensely from content created by Canadian media contribute nothing back. Further, they are perhaps now more well known for spreading harmful and illegal content with disastrous consequences for our democracies.

Streaming Platforms
Unlike their Canadian competitors, foreign Big Tech streaming firms like Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify have been allowed to do business in Canada with no obligation of contributing to Canadian content or programming.