Evidence of meeting #25 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was content.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
Nobody knows the algorithm. There's no magical, mystical Oz behind a curtain. It's machine learning and AI.
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
You keep talking about wanting to keep things fair, the removal of the gatekeeper and artificial manipulation. If you don't know the algorithm, how do you know that it's so fair?
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
Because it's equal across the globe.
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
Nobody really knows the algorithm. There's no magical Oz—
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
I'd like to answer the question first.
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
If I were a platform owner and I owned the property for a certain algorithm, could I manipulate it to favour one artist over the other?
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Of course you can. That's why people pay money to be put on the top of a certain.... There's advertising. If I pay into Google, I can go to the top of the list in some cases. Is that correct?
Can you do the same in platforms?
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
Could you buy advertising on the platform? Yes, you can do it on television too.
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
You can manipulate the algorithm and come up before someone else. Is that correct?
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Here's what I'm thinking. Overall, I think we all.... It doesn't matter who you are. If you're Canadian, you want fairness in the system and you want a system that treats artists fairly. You're saying that by even laying down some basic principles like, “Let's get some Canadian content. Let's create an element of guaranteed fairness”, that's manipulating the algorithm, but you don't even know what the algorithm is that you're defending.
My point is this: As a Canadian, don't you think it's a good thing for us to support Canadian artists? Don't you think it's a good thing for us to look for ways to level the playing field and put in place some high-level guarantees, so that, at the end of the day, we know there is no manipulation that you keep saying we should try to prevent?
Liberal
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
You turn on Canadian radio. What is it, 35% of Canadian radio content? You turn on Canadian radio and put it on Boom 97.3, which I listen to sometimes. I get to listen to some Platinum Blonde once in a while. I get to hear some good Corey Hart or some Bryan Adams. That's a guarantee when I turn on the radio.
Don't you think it would be nice in this country—your country, my country—to go onto the Internet, which is the number one distributor of content now, and get some good Canadian content? Don't you think it's a good thing to guarantee that?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I'm sorry. Hold on, please.
There's a very bad echo. Someone has a mike open on the floor. As soon as you've finished speaking, mute the mike, please.
Executive Director, Digital First Canada
I'll make two points. The first one is an important one. When you talk about those artists you're hearing on the radio, they're certified Canadian. What do we tell all the Canadian creators who aren't certified and are just flying their craft independently? Is it that they're not to be included in that discussion?
The second point to that is this: What do we do when it's actually counterproductive and it hurts those creators to focus on promoting them locally, when that's not what anybody wants?
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Is anything wrong for lawmakers and for Canadians to expect that, at the end of the day, when they go onto the Internet and onto a platform, they're going to be able to find some good Canadian content? It's a good thing for this country.
It's not about creating an artificial, manipulated gatekeeping system. It's about promoting good Canadian talent. I'm going to continue to support Canadian talent in any way possible.
Thank you so much.