Yesterday, Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, became law after the Senate gave the final approval, clearing nearly 3 years of regulatory hurdles and public contention.
Shortly after, the legislation received royal assent.
The act amends the Canadian Broadcasting Act to require streaming services such as Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and Disney Plus to pay to support Canadian media content, such as films, music and TV shows.
The platforms are also required to clearly promote and recommend Canadian content in English and French, as well as in Indigenous languages.
A similar version of this bill was first introduced in 2020, and then died after Parliament dissolved in Aug. 2021.
In February last year, Bill C-11 was re introduced in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez, leading to more than a year of vigorous debate between Liberals and the legislation’s critics.
“Online streaming has changed how we create, discover, and consume our culture, and it’s time we updated our system to reflect that,” said Minister Rodriguez in a release announcing the bill.
Conservatives pummeled the legislation, arguing that “government gatekeepers will now have the power to control which videos, posts, and other content Canadians can see online,” adding that the bill represents a danger to freedom of expression. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, notably, referred to the legislation as “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “censorship law.”