Trudeau internet control: Bill C11 or the “online streaming act” will allow the Canadian government intervention to block websites, censor content, and go full authoritarian
It has been called a “regulatory power grab without precedent” and a “full-blown assault” on free expression and democracy. The Wall Street Journal quipped that it might erect a “great firewall of Canada.” Twitter has warned it would give our government the power to block websites as done in authoritarian countries like China, North Korea and Iran.
Like it or not, Ottawa seems determined to bring online communication in Canada under the thumb of federal bureaucrats. Its assault on the Internet began in earnest when the ruling Liberal-NDP coalition used its majority in Parliament to invoke closure and ram through the contentious Bill C-11, or Online Streaming Act, which passed third reading by a vote of 208-117 on Tuesday.
That’s just the beginning, however, as two more bills are lined up to provide even more regulation of the Internet. It’s enough to make your head spin, but the bottom line is that it would give Ottawa broad oversight of online activity in Canada. What could possibly go wrong?
Bill C-11 has attracted a legion of critics and may not get past some promised scrutiny by the Senate. Next in line is Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which would force Google and Facebook to pay Canadian news media for posting links to their articles because they are supposedly “stealing” them. More murky are Ottawa’s plans for legislation to combat “online harms,” which could prohibit otherwise legal communication.
The federal bureaucracy has already infiltrated the news business to a troubling extent, with the Canada Revenue Agency now deciding who is eligible for Ottawa’s $595 million media bailout announced in 2018.
Journalism Organizations and thus makes them eligible for federal handouts such as labour tax credits. You might be surprised by who made the list, which includes some unsavoury online outfits. Just don’t ask how much they get, because that’s when the Cone of Silence descends.
Bill C-11 would bring streaming services, most of which originate from the United States and have exploded in recent years from the original Netflix to also include Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV, under our Broadcasting Act. It would start by imposing the so-called “Netflix tax” which both major parties promised for years not to introduce.
Consumers could suffer a double whammy because, in addition to adding GST and PST to their monthly bills, streamers have promised to also pass along to subscribers any extra costs Parliament might impose on them, such as the new three percent digital services tax and the expense of meeting Canadian content requirements.
https://strangesounds.org/2022/06/full-blown-assault-on-free-expression-bill-c11-or-the-online-streaming-act-will-allow-the-canadian-government-intervention-to-block-websites-censor-content-and-go-full-authoritari.html