And send it to the Heritage Committee
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – After tabling Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, on Feb. 2, the House debated it on four occasions and the Conservatives, the official opposition, have been able to stall the legislation, forcing the government, with the assent of the NDP, to use a procedure setting a time limit on the debate to ensure passage of the second stage of the bill.
The motion was adopted today, opposed by the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois (who support the bill) and it is expected the vote on second reading will be held on Thursday.
Then the Heritage Committee will study the legislation more in depth and propose amendments. We are expecting some witnesses will be called to testify.
Many cultural groups had called for the bill to move forward so it can be adopted before the summer adjournment. For example, on Tuesday the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) issued a news release in which Bill Skolnik, CDCE’s co-chair, said, “We believe all parties should acknowledge the popular support that exists for this Bill and continue the discussion in committee where improvements can actually be made.”
Skolnik added, “A Nanos Research poll released this morning shows that only 22% of Canadian population opposes the Bill. In addition, the CDCE’s campaign in support of the Bill has generated over 200,000 emails to Members of Parliament and Senators in just a few weeks.”
The cultural sector has been very active this time sensing the urgency, since a similar legislation, Bill C-10, died on the order paper last spring when the Liberals called an election, therefore depriving, notionally, payments for various segments of the sector made by web giants.
