Also urges everyone to keep the C-11 debate “on facts”
By Amanda OYE
MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE Pablo Rodriguez (above, right) wants his daughter to grow up with Canadian music and Canadian productions – and the newly announced Bill C-11 can help ensure this, he said today, during a fireside chat on the final day of the Canadian Media Producers Association’s Prime Time conference.
Rodriguez joined Erin Haskett (above left), president and executive producer at Lark Productions, for a conversation that addressed a range of topics including the importance of Bill C-11 (also known as the Online Streaming Act), and gave Rodriguez an opportunity to address its critics.
The minister argued Bill C-11 is necessary “because things have changed, and we know we need these streamers to contribute to our culture, to our system, to how we tell our own stories,” he said. “I want my daughter to grow up the way I did by listening to Canadian music, seeing Canadian productions, that’s extremely important for me.”
There will always be people opposed to the new broadcasting legislation, he pointed out during the chat, which featured live sign language interpretation (one of two interpreters is pictured above, centre.)
When asked specifically about those who are critical of the bill because of concerns about social media content being regulated, Rodriguez said the government took note of the criticism of Bill C-10 and fixed it for Bill C-11.
“… the problem is that the bill was hijacked, and it became about freedom of speech when the bill has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with freedom, of speech.” – Pablo Rodriguez, minister of Canadian Heritage
“I think we brought the necessary changes to the bill to reassure them and to make sure that platforms are in, and users are out – so that means if you and I decide to sing a song together and to post it well, even if it’s beautiful, it’s not going to be regulated,” the minister told Haskett.
There was still, however, a question of whether such content would be regulated if money was made off it. Later, during a Q&A with the audience, Rodriguez clarified this further.
He said he and his team have met with young creators about the bill who are “making a huge ton of money and they’re seen everywhere across the world.” He specified that these types of creators, even the ones who are making a lot of money off their content, are “not impacted by this bill.”
There is a set of three criteria the bill asks the CRTC to consider when deciding if content uploaded on social media should be regulated: the extent to which it generates revenues; whether it has been broadcast by another broadcasting undertaking; and if the program has a unique identifier. “The objective is to make sure that those creators are not touched by this they’re left aside,” Rodriguez said.
The minister was also asked about those who criticized Bill C-10 for being too broad and for giving too much power to the CRTC.
“Well, again, it came from a lot of people that don’t want the bill at all, and the problem is that the bill was hijacked, and it became about freedom of speech when the bill has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with freedom, of speech,” he responded.
This meant that instead of talking about contributions to Canadian culture and to producers and directors and the country’s film and television industry, “we started talking about cat videos,” Rodriguez said.
“Cat videos,” he repeated, saying it was surreal. “I was in parliament and looking at my colleagues… having to get up and answer questions about cat videos.” Rodriguez went on to say those critics “were extremely well organized,” and he called on supporters of the bill to be more vocal this time around. “We need those voices to be heard,” he said.
“CRTC will have a hundred percent of everything they need to do the job once C-11 is adopted.” – Rodriguez
“It sounds like a call to action,” Haskett responded. “It is, it is… we need you,” Rodriguez said, apparently taking former Heritage Minister Sheila Copps’ recommendation from days earlier at Prime Time, to “light a fire” under the production sector so their voices will be heard.
Rodriguez further called on everyone to stick to the facts when debating the bill. He said both the CRTC, and the government have made it clear no one wants to regulate user-generated content, arguing both what they do want to do and what they do not want to do are in the bill.
“So please guys, let’s make sure that the debate stays on facts,” he said.
The conversation then turned to the CRTC’s responsibilities and whether the Commission will be able to handle the extra work Bill C-11, if passed, will put upon it.
Rodriguez said he does believe the Commission has the experience necessary but that the government recognizes it will need additional resources. “And we’re doing exactly that,” he said. “CRTC will have a hundred percent of everything they need to do the job once C-11 is adopted.”
Throughout the fireside chat it was clear that, despite Bill C-11 being introduced, there is still a lot of work to do and a lot of logistics that need to be sorted out to modernize Canada’s broadcasting system.
For example, Haskett asked Rodriguez about updating the CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate, which is part of his mandate letter.
Rodriguez said that while a lot of people thought CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate would be updated through C-11, which it has been (slightly), “it’s not that… it’s a further step, later down the road.” He does not know exactly when this will happen but said it would likely be in the short midterm.
Rodriguez was also asked what he envisions the contributions of streaming services to the Canadian broadcasting system will look like, but he did not have a clear-cut answer.
“I think we have to be open to this,” Rodriguez replied. He pointed out the streamers are not all equal and they do not all have the same business model, so there could be adaptations. “It could be a percentage of contribution to Canadian content, it could be contributing to a fund. I mean, there’s different ways to do it,” he said.
Later, an audience member asked whether there are plans to release a draft of the government’s policy direction to the CRTC so it can be considered along with Bill C-11.
Rodriguez said nothing will be released ahead of the bill being adopted. “I know we did that last time, I’m not sure exactly why we did that last time, it’s not the tradition,” he said. “Once it’s adopted, then I’ll prepare that note for the CRTC, but I will be consulting, including [with] you guys.”
This is all to say, much more is still to come.
