Canada Pushing for Domestic Tech Growth - Examining Regulations on Digital Platforms in Bills C-11 and C-18
Modernizing Digital Media Regulation in Canada: A Look at Bills C-11 and C-18
Canada has taken a significant step towards modernizing its digital media regulation landscape with the enactment of two federal bills, Bills C-11 and C-18. Passed in 2022 and June 2023 respectively, these pieces of legislation aim to empower the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to regulate digital media platforms as broadcasters.
Bill C-11: The Online Streaming Act
Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, grants the CRTC the power to regulate digital media platforms, including subscription streaming services like Netflix and potentially user-generated content platforms such as YouTube. This expansion of Canadian content regulatory rules beyond traditional TV and radio broadcasters to online audiovisual content is a significant shift.
However, the bill has faced criticism for its broad scope and potential overreach into user-generated content. Despite the initial indication from the CRTC chair that it would not regulate individual creators, the removal of an amendment protecting user-generated content regulation by the government has kept concerns alive about potential content moderation and discoverability impacts on social media users and platforms.
Bill C-18: The Online News Act
Bill C-18 targets online news platforms, requiring them to compensate Canadian news organizations for content. This bill aims to bolster news media revenues and ensure fair compensation, addressing the challenges news outlets face from digital platform dominance. However, its passage has generated debate over the balance between supporting journalism and free expression.
Comparisons with European Legislation
Canada’s approach to digital media regulation broadly parallels trends in Europe, particularly the EU’s tightening of platform accountability and content regulations. However, key distinctions exist. For instance, the EU’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act focus heavily on platform accountability, transparency, and competition remedies, unlike the broader reach feared under Bill C-11.
The Online Harms Act: A New Approach
Amidst the debates about digital governance sparked by Canada's bills, the Canadian government has proposed the Online Harms Act. This bill aims to hold tech companies accountable for removing harmful content, aligning Canada more with Europe in its approach to tech companies. However, this new act is emerging in the polarized discourse environment forged by Bills C-11 and C-18.
As the CRTC proceeds with consultations and regulatory plans based on these laws, the future of digital media regulation in Canada remains to be seen. Ongoing Canadian efforts, including Bills C-8 and others, will shape how Canadian and European frameworks align or diverge, especially on privacy and data flow issues.
For more detailed discussions on these issues, you can find the article on us.boell.org.
In light of the passage of Bills C-11 and C-18, the intersection of finance, technology, education-and-self-development, politics, and general-news becomes increasingly significant in shaping Canada's digital media landscape, as these bills aim to regulate streaming platforms (Bill C-11) and online news platforms (Bill C-18), impacting revenues and content dissemination. The ongoing debates over these bills have also sparked discussions about the Online Harms Act, highlighting the importance of digital governance in promoting fair compensation, user protection, and free expression.
