Canadian Heritage Committee on June 6th, 2022

Evidence of meeting #31 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 study.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill C-11

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Thomas Owen Ripley Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage

Amy Awad Senior Director, Marketplace and Legislative Policy, Department of Canadian Heritage

Clerk of the Committee Ms. Aimée Belmore

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

You didn't. What's the number, then?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

I did answer, eight times.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

So what's the number? What's the revenue threshold?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

It's one of the three criteria that the CRTC takes to generate the regulations, which will apply then to the—

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Right. So what is that monetary amount that you're going to be able to determine whether or not it applies to it?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

I've answered your question. You know it very well.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

I don't—

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Yes, you do.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

—because it's not in Bill C-11. There's no revenue threshold given. What's the monetary amount?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

It's one of the three criteria.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

If someone makes $100 million in revenue, if someone makes $50,000 in revenue or $30,000 in revenue—

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

It's one of the three criteria, and for—

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

What's the threshold? Who's in and who's out?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

For online creators, that wouldn't change anything, because they are excluded. Even if you would like to say to people, falsely, that they're included, they're not. It doesn't change anything.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

So in order to determine if someone is producing “commercial content”, which is the term you like to use, even though it's actually not defined in the bill, you get away....

It's actually very sneaky of you to use that term here today. So commercial—

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

Isn't that a personal attack, Mr. Chair? That's not a personal attack? I would say that it is.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Minister, I'm asking a very simple question. I'm just asking whether you can provide me with that revenue threshold, the monetary amount.

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

I answered, but I don't think anything I say will have you support the bill.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Could you give that dollar figure again?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

You said that this bill needs to die a thousand deaths, Ms. Thomas.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Could you give me that monetary amount?

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

What's the point? You don't want this bill to pass.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

You said that we needed to have a conversation, and I'm trying to have a conversation with you, Mr. Rodriguez.

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC

I'm trying to—

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON

On a point of order.