Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has announced the government is going to bring forward another amendment to Bill C-10.
The amendment aims to make it clear that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) won’t be regulating social media posts.
“We also want to make sure that the content that people upload on social media won’t be considered as programming under the Act and that it won’t be regulated by the CRTC. And that’s why we will be bringing forward another amendment that will make this crystal clear,” Guilbeault said in a statement.
The news follows intense backlash over the past week from the public and experts who have said the proposed changes would infringe on free speech and expression.
Further explanations on Bill C-10 and social media: pic.twitter.com/tUgheX1TpN
— Steven Guilbeault (@s_guilbeault) May 3, 2021
Guilbeault did not indicate when the amendment will be introduced.
The statement follows calls from the Conservatives and the NDP to temporarily pause the legislation to determine how the changes may infringe on Canadians’ rights.
Guilbeault tabled the legislation in November 2020 with the intention to regulate online platforms such as Netflix and Spotify and had stated that the goal of the proposed bill is to ensure online streaming services contribute to the creation and production of Canadian content.
Image credit: @StevenGuilbeault
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