If the Liberal government in Ottawa genuinely believes that concerns over their broadcasting legislation, Bill C-10, are being overblown by critics worrying about its impact on free speech, they should walk back their decision to remove an exemption that would have protected user-generated content from new forms of regulation. .Instead, Trudeau’s Liberals are doubling down on the exemption and ramming the bill through, flaws and all. C-10 has become about partisanship over policy, with the government demonstrating their inability to admit a mistake no matter how glaringly obvious and how loud the outcry. .Now, every Canadian will pay the steep price on their basic rights like free expression in order to force our 1960s-era broadcasting regulations to fit the streaming age. If it seems backwards, it’s because it most certainly is. .C-10 was supposed to modernize Canada’s Broadcasting Act, last substantially updated in the 1990s and with majority of the act lingering in the 1960s. Obviously, a lot has changed since then, namely, the internet upending how media is consumed by Canadians. Streaming services and social media aren’t really new to Canadians anymore, but officials in Ottawa are now hastily trying to catch up with as much grace as a frazzled moose in a china shop. This could have been an opportunity for our parliamentary democracy to demonstrate that our system of checks and balances is fully functioning. Instead, the Liberal government has demonstrated that it’s merely a set of details existing solely in high-school social studies textbooks. .And here we are, trying to solve for another self-created Liberal problem: they opted to remove a section of their legislation that would’ve exempted user-generated content from CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) regulation. Of course, the CRTC would be regulating based on further rules not yet known, leaving us in a state of uncertainty..Despite the unknowns, what is known is that in the process of drafting the legislation someone thought it was important to put in a clear exemption to protect user-generated content. That was section 4.1 of the bill, which has since been removed by the government. .It should also be noted that the minister responsible for the bill is Minister of Heritage, Steven Guilbeault, who has personally created much of the current confusion, by being unable to answer basic questions about C-10, such as whether individual YouTube accounts will be regulated per a recent interview and multiple backtracks. .This wasn’t merely a communication error by a minister speaking to a colleague’s bill. This is about the very minister responsible for legislation being unclear or confused about its content and impact. Perhaps this is a sign for the government to ask themselves if they should hit the brakes, do this right, and ensure the protection of freedom for all Canadians..It’s unlikely, but slowing down and going through the due process, would be the best option. .Forget the new reams of red tape and the regulatory force required to apply the Canadian content requirements, and with no disrespect to the patriotic hopes and aspirations from long-ago retired government officials from an era of bellbottoms. But we should have a policy that recognizes from the start how much media has changed and rethink our broadcasting framework to reflect that. .If the Senate works as it should, an eminently flawed piece of legislation like C-10 emerging from the House of Commons would be subject to substantial amendments. That’s the point of the upper house, isn’t it? .Whatever problem Bill C-10 is aiming to fix, the Liberal government’s proposed solution is worse than the problem. .Guest Column from Erika Barootes, Vice President Western Canada for Enterprise Canada Inc.
