MONTREAL — The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) is asking Canadians who support Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, to write to their senators to urge them to pass the legislation quickly.
“Bill C-11 on online streaming is currently in the hands of Senators,” reads a CDCE press release. “Due to manoeuvring by Conservative representatives, the chances of it being passed before the end of the year are diminishing daily, a scenario reminiscent of the sad fate of the first draft of the bill, which died on the Order Paper in the spring of 2021.”
The CDCE is calling on senators “to immediately adopt the few key amendments needed to restore fairness to our system and allow the Bill to move to the next step in the process,” the release says.
Canadians are asked to contact senators through the CDCE’s Stand Up for C-11 campaign.
“In January 2020, following extensive consultations, the report Canada’s communications future: Time to Act was released, calling for a rapid modernization of the regulatory framework governing broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada. Three years, two bills, two ministers, 348 witnesses and 135 hours of committee discussions later, this modernization is still not complete,” said Hélène Messier, co-chair of the CDCE, in the press release.
“The Senators have everything in hand to adopt the few key amendments needed to ensure that the Bill truly restores fairness to our ecosystem and the cultural sector is counting on them to do so without delay,” she said.
Bill Skolnik, CDCE co-chair, echoed that Bill C-11 is necessary to restore fairness. “For too long, powerful foreign companies have been operating in our country and receiving unfair preferential treatment compared to Canadian companies. There is massive support from Canadians and the Senate has what it needs to act now,” he said.
The CDCE has made available on its website the brief it recently presented to the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, outlining the coalition’s recommendations for amendments to C-11.
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