“I am a Canadian creator. My audience is global. C-11 (Bill) is BAD.” This was a comment made by a random Youtuber when asked about the new draconian law that is on the verge of becoming a reality in Canada.
C-11, the draconian bill that is underway, is the new talking point in Canada. Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, is an attempt to modernize the 1991 Broadcasting Act. It aims to regulate how streaming platforms must treat all the audio-visual content posted online.
The act would give the Trudeau government the power to determine what will appear on “the homepage” and the “Watch next’ section on YouTube. Furthermore, some content that is favourable to the government will be promoted more than others using a regulator. This will hurt the revenue of other content creators.
If you learn the restrictions that this law has, your face will be horrified. The question is, though, whether making that startling face is really necessary now. After all, what do you even expect from something that comes out of the brain of Justin Trudeau?
In addition, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Chairman, Ian Scott, recently stated that the CRTC can handle the task of implementing the Liberal government’s controversial online streaming legislation, including safeguarding freedom of expression.
Canadian YouTubers have been especially vocal against the proposed legislation, claiming that controlling user-generated content will negatively impact their freedom of expression. Some are even suggesting they will use a Canadian VPN to spoof their location if the bill is enforced.
Make no mistake, if allowed to run, C-11 will injure the content creators in Canada, matching a level that is often witnessed in authoritarian countries like China. The worst of all is the audacity of the liberal government in Canada to decide on which content is “Canadian enough”. Nothing can be more insulting to the people of a country who have lived a life that was free from any chains of restriction.
Clamping down dissent
Others have expressed concerns that Bill C-11 could affect digital creators. Industry group, Digital First Canada, told the government in an open letter, in late March, that the language of the bill doesn’t match the older promise that digital creators would be excluded.
“As currently drafted, the bill will still allow the CRTC to regulate the content of digital creators, and control how platforms show content to Canadians,” the group said.
“Bill C-11 hands the CRTC sweeping new authority, including the power to regulate ‘professional’ social media content — which is defined so broadly that it could include all content posted by Canadians to their favourite platforms.” the group further added.
Read more: In a move to muzzle anti-Trudeau voices, Canada moves to ban foreign content creators
The whole gimmick behind this law is to reduce the amplitude of the rising voice of conservatism in Canada. Many things have changed since the ascension of Trudeau as the prime minister of Canada. The once hailed liberal Trudeau is now being equalled with authoritarians such as Fidel Castro and Xi Jinping. This itself speaks volumes about the change that happened in Canada during Trudeau’s tenure.
Trudeau has understood the cohesive power that online media possess. There is a large inflow of people towards the conservative camp and every move of Trudeau is questioned freely in cyberspace. So the progressive-bound Trudeau has changed the track to go archetypal by bringing a dystopian law that restricts Canadians’ freedom of speech.
Many Canadians are yet to digest the fact that such a draconian law is being discussed in a country that was once the epitome of liberalism. With Trudeau in charge, not only has the nation’s economy collapsed, but people’s freedoms are in ruins as well.
