Nearly a quarter of Canadians disapprove of the CRTC, according to in-house research. The rise in the agency’s unfavourable ratings coincided with cabinet attempts to have the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission regulate the internet..“Where opinion has changed, it has declined significantly over the previous year,” said a report. More men than women surveyed had an increasingly negative view of the Commission, it said..When asked, “What is your impression of the CRTC?” a total 22% of Canadians surveyed said they had an unfavourable opinion. The negative rating was only 12% in 2016. Among Canadians who considered themselves well informed on telecom regulation 28% said they had a low opinion of the CRTC..The findings follow CRTC announcements it would regulate all internet programming including YouTube videos under the Broadcasting Act. Cabinet since 2019 has introduced successive bills proposing first-ever regulation of the internet. None have passed Parliament to date..“We have regulation over all programming and programming is very widely defined,” Ian Scott, CEO of the Commission, testified March 26, 2021 at the House of Commons heritage committee. “The Commission has looked three times in total dating back twenty years at whether or not it would be desirable or necessary to regulate content delivered over the internet.”.“The Broadcasting Act is now thirty years old,” testified Scott. Parliament “could not foresee how modern technology would change,” he said..A 2021 Privy Council survey found a majority of Canadians opposed federal regulation of internet speech even in the name of pandemic safety or combating misinformation..When sked, “Please give your opinion on the following statement: The government should restrict access to the internet and social media to combat the spread misinformation about COVID-19,” a total of 58% disagreed, whereas 46% “strongly” disagreed..Opposition ranged from 63% of Atlantic Canadians to 62% of British Columbians, 61% of Albertans, 59% in Ontario, 56% in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and 51% in Québec, said the research..Nationwide, only 4% of people surveyed said they “strongly agreed” Parliament should regulate internet speech. Findings were drawn from a series of questionnaires with 16,829 people by Léger. The Privy Council Office paid $248,343 for the research.
Nearly a quarter of Canadians disapprove of the CRTC, according to in-house research. The rise in the agency’s unfavourable ratings coincided with cabinet attempts to have the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission regulate the internet..“Where opinion has changed, it has declined significantly over the previous year,” said a report. More men than women surveyed had an increasingly negative view of the Commission, it said..When asked, “What is your impression of the CRTC?” a total 22% of Canadians surveyed said they had an unfavourable opinion. The negative rating was only 12% in 2016. Among Canadians who considered themselves well informed on telecom regulation 28% said they had a low opinion of the CRTC..The findings follow CRTC announcements it would regulate all internet programming including YouTube videos under the Broadcasting Act. Cabinet since 2019 has introduced successive bills proposing first-ever regulation of the internet. None have passed Parliament to date..“We have regulation over all programming and programming is very widely defined,” Ian Scott, CEO of the Commission, testified March 26, 2021 at the House of Commons heritage committee. “The Commission has looked three times in total dating back twenty years at whether or not it would be desirable or necessary to regulate content delivered over the internet.”.“The Broadcasting Act is now thirty years old,” testified Scott. Parliament “could not foresee how modern technology would change,” he said..A 2021 Privy Council survey found a majority of Canadians opposed federal regulation of internet speech even in the name of pandemic safety or combating misinformation..When sked, “Please give your opinion on the following statement: The government should restrict access to the internet and social media to combat the spread misinformation about COVID-19,” a total of 58% disagreed, whereas 46% “strongly” disagreed..Opposition ranged from 63% of Atlantic Canadians to 62% of British Columbians, 61% of Albertans, 59% in Ontario, 56% in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and 51% in Québec, said the research..Nationwide, only 4% of people surveyed said they “strongly agreed” Parliament should regulate internet speech. Findings were drawn from a series of questionnaires with 16,829 people by Léger. The Privy Council Office paid $248,343 for the research.
