Thank you very much.
I'm very grateful to be here today to speak on behalf of tens of thousands of supporters, including tens of thousands of Canadians who have signed our petition calling on the government not to move forward with Bill C-11.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is concerned by this bill for three key reasons.
First, the government's “empower the CRTC now, give guidance later” approach raises major concerns about accountability. There are many Canadians who are asking why the government is trying to give such unprecedented power to an entity like the CRTC without first sharing with Canadians exactly how much power and on exactly what basis it plans to do so. The government has said that instructions and guidance will come later, but that's a backward approach when it comes to accountability.
Second, contrary to the government assertions, the CRTC has determined that user-generated content will be regulated by the CRTC under Bill C-11 through broadcast regulation. As Professor Michael Geist has said, “no other country in the world regulates content in this way”, and to do so is a major threat to individual freedom. Again, many are asking why the government wants to give the CRTC the power to regulate user-generated content while at the same time saying that it's not.
Before I move to my third point, let me note that although the government has insisted that user-generated content won't be regulated, CRTC chair Ian Scott told this committee that “section 4.2 allows the CRTC to prescribe by regulation user-uploaded content subject to very explicit criteria”. In addition, the very fact that user-generated content would be regulated demonstrates that this bill is not, as the minister and others have suggested, solely about Canadian culture.
Third, this could set a very dangerous precedent for the future. Today, this new government regulatory machine that is being built plans to filter content based on what it considers to be Canadian, but this could be repurposed in the future for other means. Not being able to hold the CRTC accountable in determining what is or is not Canadian content may concern some, but not being able to hold it accountable on future issues such as social cohesion, as Minister Mendicino has alluded to in the online harms conversation, is even more concerning.
There are also deep concerns about the process of this legislation, the lack of debate and the government failing to genuinely listen to Canadians. Our right to free speech and free expression must be sacred, and we should not be in a situation in which a bill like this is being pushed through Parliament in this way, with such limited debate and opportunity.
Thank you for having me here. I look forward to your questions.