The Liberal government’s online-streaming bill, which has resulted in tense debate among members of Parliament, is headed to the Senate..Bill C-11 passed third reading in the House of Commons with a vote of 208 to 117. The Conservative MPs opposing the proposed legislation.."What a birthday gift! We promised we would deliver for our artists and creators and that is what we’re doing," Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez said on Twitter..The bill would update the Broadcasting Act and bring streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime within the regulatory regime..It would also apply to platforms including YouTube and Spotify, requiring to them promote Canadian music artists by law..Critics of the bill have said with the way it is currently worded, it could also apply to amateur videos and user-generated content posted on YouTube, potentially harming their revenues..The government faced protests from Conservative and Green Party MPs after it cut short debate and discussion of amendments in the heritage committee to push the bill through the House of Commons before the summer break..Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa Professor Michael Geist, said on Twitter that given "multiple efforts" to stifle debate about the bill, he was "not surprised" it passed.."Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez got got Bill C-11 through House, but at what cost? Ignored concerns of 1/3 of witnesses, didn’t hear from indigenous broadcasters, cut off debate multiple times, and leveraged an embarrassing clause-by-clause review."
