Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for moving this motion. I think it is extremely important to be talking about this topic today especially in light of recent events. It is an honour to stand today and support this motion which is important to me and many of my constituents.
The free flow of information is important to all Canadians. Access to all sources of information allow citizens to form and articulate their own opinions, a fundamental pillar of our democracy. That is why I am supporting private member's Motion No. 168, to affirm my support for net neutrality and the protection of an open Internet in Canada.
Our neighbours in the United States recently decided that Internet service providers will no longer be regulated as utilities like they currently are in Canada. Instead, these service providers will now be designated as information services. This new information service designation means that providers can purposely impact the speed at which websites load based on how much users and content creators are paying them or if the content belongs to a competitor.
Although there is no formal move to give Internet service providers in Canada the same power, the American case highlights the importance of protecting net neutrality here. It is an issue that has many Canadians concerned and rightfully so. The Internet has become an essential service in Canada and it must remain a freely available utility. Service providers should not dictate how people use the Internet.
According to Canada's Telecommunications Act, Internet providers in Canada, such as Bell and Rogers, are explicitly treated as providing a utility, ensuring they practise common carriage. Common carriage stipulates that these providers cannot influence or give preference to content passing through the distribution networks, such as the website a user is trying to access.
There will be a review of the Telecommunications Act in the near future. I'm honoured to have a seat at the House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, where l presume I will have the opportunity to formally engage in this review process. In that capacity, I will push for the continued protection of common carriage in the telecommunications industry.
The fight for net neutrality is extremely important right now. A few months ago, Bell and several other media conglomerates announced a proposal to create a mandatory blocking system for websites that they have arbitrarily determined are inappropriate. Bell's proposal asks Canada's Internet service providers to block websites they deem as piracy. The blocking process would take place with little to no oversight by our courts. Obviously, this plan has Internet and net neutrality experts concerned. This plan would seriously harm open Internet access for users and also violates freedom of expression rights.
Michael Geist, the Canada research chair in Internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, warned that agreeing to this proposal is a slippery slope:
The CRTC should be particularly wary of establishing a mandated blocking system given the likelihood that it will quickly expand beyond sites that "blatantly, overwhelmingly or structurally" engage in infringing or enabling or facilitating the infringing of copyright. For example, Bell, Rogers, and Quebecor last year targeted TVAddons, a site that contains considerable non-infringing content, that would presumably represent the type of site destined for the block list.
Canadians should be concerned about this proposal. In fact, more than 6,000 people complained directly to the CRTC. Advocacy group OpenMedia's Stop Canada Censorship campaign logged almost 30,000 comments. Clearly, maintaining net neutrality is important to many Canadians. I have heard personally from many of my constituents in Edmonton about how important net neutrality has become to them.
I am passionate about free speech, a freedom promised to all Canadians in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We have already seen attacks on our free speech and freedom of conscience, including the Liberals' values test, which blocked hundreds of charitable and religious organizations across the country from receiving Canada summer jobs funding.
As well, free speech on university campuses is under attack. Controversial speakers are frequently uninvited when a minority of students complain because they do not want to be exposed to ideas they do not agree with. This is plain and clear censorship happening on university campuses across the country. Students enrol in universities to learn to think critically, and part of thinking critically is to be able to dissect and decide their positions on certain issues. How can students develop this crucial skill if universities are not allowing discussion on different viewpoints?
Lindsay Shepherd, a teaching assistant at Wilfrid Laurier University, was recently disciplined for showing a debate that aired on public television which featured a commentator with a viewpoint that made a student in Lindsay Shepherd's class uncomfortable. In her words, “Universities are no longer places where one can engage with controversial ideas. They are echo chambers for left-wing ideology.”
Being exposed to different ideas may be uncomfortable, but learning and respecting the viewpoints of others is essential to our democracy, a democracy that we can be proud of, and one that is at risk of deteriorating. We cannot stop healthy debate and discussion from happening just because it might make someone feel uncomfortable.
We also have a government that recently promised to give, over five years, $50 million to save local newspapers. As a Conservative, I wholeheartedly support a strong, free, and independent press, because local news sources strengthen communities. However, I do not support government funding and the level of control that comes with government funding. In order to be free and unbiased, the press must not have, or even have the perception of, government interference. The Prime Minister cannot be trusted to pick and choose the organizations that will administer funding to news outlets. Such a process will compromise the independence of a free press and lead to skepticism from the general public.
As well, the Liberals are now involved in a scandal involving the possible misuse of Facebook users' data. A Canadian, Christopher Wylie, went public about how his company mined Facebook data during the recent election in the United States. We later learned that he was employed under two separate Liberal leaders and was also awarded a $100,000 contract by the Prime Minister just two years ago. He allegedly helped the party refine its data analytics practices. We do not know what else he did because the government will not tell us. As well, it will not go public about its data collection practices, though we know it stepped up spending on data analytics for the 2015 election. I hope the government will be honest with Canadians about what data it collected and what it used it for.
Data mining allows companies to collect information about people online and learn what they like and do not like. Companies can then release targeted ads and control what people see based on their online profiles. We know that targeted ads on Facebook played a huge factor in the U.S. election, and we do not want to see that happen in Canada. We want Canadians to be able to formulate their own opinions about elections and who to vote for without influence from companies or political parties.
Net neutrality fits into this complex debate. No one has the right to arbitrarily decide what people can and cannot access, not the government, not Internet service providers, and certainly not the Prime Minister and his cabinet. Doing so would be blatant censorship. Allowing companies like Bell and Rogers to slow down Internet speeds when users try to access certain websites is a slippery slope.
The government has clearly shown a laissez-faire attitude about Canadians' privacy online and our rights to freedom of speech. When we have a government that may have been involved in data mining, it makes protecting the Internet and the privacy of Canadians even more important. It is vitally important that we support net neutrality in Canada and continue to ensure that all web traffic is given equal treatment by Internet service providers.
Given the government's record on attacking free speech and freedom of conscience, I am a bit surprised this motion was brought forward by a government member. However, I think this is a very important motion as it recognizes that the Internet has thrived due to net neutrality and its principles of openness and transparency. Supporting the motion is the right thing to do for my constituents and for all Canadians.
As shadow minister of science, I am keenly interested in research, innovation, and technology. I support loosening regulation where appropriate to encourage innovation. However, the belief in equality is a fundamental principle of conservativism and, as such, I do not believe that Canadians' access to information should be arbitrarily disadvantaged.
Freedom of speech, and with that the free flow of information, is important for all Canadians. Large media conglomerates should not have the ability to arbitrarily decide on Canadians' behalf what they can and cannot see online. These are guiding fundamental principles of our society. That is why I am grateful to have had the opportunity to stand today and support Motion No. 168.