Photo Regis Duvignau, archives REUTERS
The modernization project Broadcasting Act finds itself bogged down again, deplores Alexandre Sirois.
We would have preferred not to have to write this editorial to urge federal MPs and senators to hasten to modernize the Broadcasting Actso important to our creators and our culture.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
We have already done it more than once… last year!
At the time, the tataouinages of parliamentarians – to use an expression used in other circumstances by the leader of the Bloc Québécois – and the hasty calling of the elections had got the better of the first version of the bill on this subject (C- 10). She died on the soap opera.
A new bill was tabled last February. It is this new version, C-11, which is currently being studied in Ottawa before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. And it’s not going very well.
The project finds itself bogged down again. And its adoption is likely to be delayed once again. For no valid reason. If the trend continues, the session will end and he will not have received royal assent. See you next fall for the rest…
It’s embarassing.
Like last time, the Conservatives are putting the brakes on. The party has not yet understood how intimately the fate of our artists and other creators is linked to the passage of this bill.
Their latest pretext? They argued that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage should stop reviewing C-11 to have Hockey Canada officials testify about a possible gang rape.
This matter is urgent, it is true. But the hypocrisy of their ploy was revealed when the NDP and the Bloc Québécois proposed to add sessions over the next few days so that the two subjects could be tackled simultaneously. Because, yes, MPs can address two emergencies head-on.
This phony excuse was in addition to other obstructive maneuvers by the Conservatives. “They are doing everything to delay the work,” said Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux, vice-chairman of the committee. He had witnessed similar maneuvers from the Conservative Party last year.
However, we should have brought the “digital barbarians” into line a long time ago with such a bill. The colorful expression is that of Alain Saulnier, who has just made it the title of a very relevant little essay. He evokes the many ravages made by the Netflix, Amazon, Apple and other Googles of this world.
The journalist explains that the fate of culture from here on the platforms of these giants is quite similar to that of soft drinks which find themselves relegated to the bottom rows in grocery stores because the big brands keep the best places.
This is why access to our content, its “discoverability”, is the most important issue for the future of cultures other than American.
Alain Saulnier, journalist and author of the essay The digital barbarians
The bill aims to force digital giants to change their practices to make more room for our creators. It will also make it possible to collect part of what they pocket in Canada to finance productions here.
Note: this is what traditional broadcasters already do. We are therefore also seeking to repair a glaring injustice.
Last week, the Liberal government tabled a motion to end debate on C-11 for the next few days.
Using closure to try to rush a bill through is rarely a good idea. However, this time, we cannot claim that we ran out of time to debate it.
It should also be noted that C-11 is a greatly improved version of the previous bill and that only remains to be fine-tuned. It is therefore high time to adopt it and stop cooing in front of the barbarians.