Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he would scrap Bill C-11 to protect freedom of expression if he becomes prime minister. .“2b) or not 2b)?” said Poilievre in a Thursday video, joking about and juxtaposing Section 2b) of the Canadian Charter Rights and Freedoms with the Shakespearean play Hamlet.".“That is the question.” .Poilievre said inherent in Bill C-11 is “the same old elitist mentality of the ruling class.” If Canadians are left to their own devices, he said those elites believe they will consume the wrong kind of culture. .The Conservative leader went on to say the Canadian government is telling Canadians they are unsophisticated to make their own decisions about what to see and hear. He added the assumption is elites are more virtuous than average Canadians. .Poilievre asked what makes these elites so special and who will watch over the watchmen. .He continued by saying Canadian culture comes from regular people rather than elites. To the suggestion Canadians are not sophisticated enough to decide for themselves, he asked for evidence politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists do have the necessary polish. .If people want to see sophistication, he said they should look to the mechanic who can take apart and put back together an engine. They should look to electricians whose fingers can send electricity through copper wires to illuminate homes. .Poilievre said those people are capable to decide what is good and bad culture. The House of Commons are servants and not masters. .He said it's not the House of Commons’ role “to dictate from above what the people think, see, and hear.” The Canadian government has the organizational chart wrong. .It has put prime minister above House of Commons above average people. He said it's the other way around. .He concluded by saying Conservatives will always stand for common sense for common people. .“Let’s bring home freedom of speech for all Canadians,” he said. .Bill C-11 passed its third reading in the Senate on February 2. .READ MORE: Senate passes Bill C-11 after several amendments.Forty-three senators voted yay, while 15 voted nay on Bill C-11. The Senate proposed dozens of changes to the bill, where it will be returned to the House of Commons to be passed..The bill would update Canada’s broadcasting rules to reflect online streaming giants such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify and require them to contribute to Canadian content and make it accessible to users under the threat of steep financial penalties.
