Heritage minister says Netflix, Disney should contribute more to Canadian culture
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime are "the new big players" and should contribute more to Canadian culture.
In a debate Wednesday in the House of Commons about a bill to regulate online streaming, Rodriguez said updating the broadcasting law is long overdue and needs to cover commercial content on social media and streaming platforms.
He said the last time the law was updated in 1991, people took out videos from Blockbuster and listened to Walkmans.
The new law would regulate online streaming platforms as well as traditional Canadian broadcasters which already have an obligation to provide Canadian content.
Rodriguez said he wants to see the creation of more Canadian programs to promote homegrown talent, such as CBC's "Schitt's Creek" and "Anne with an E," which also streamed on Netflix.
But he said he is "flexible" about how streaming platforms contribute to Canadian culture, and they could use different models including putting money into a fund.
"Amazon, Netflix and Disney are already investing in Canadian content and we love that stuff. It's very entertaining," he said.
But he said Canada has incredible talent and wants to see streaming services invest more in Canadian film, TV and music.
"Our system must also pave the way for new and upcoming Canadian artists," he said.
He also said Indigenous, disabled and racialized Canadians, as well as people from the LGBTQ community, "deserve to have space to tell their stories."
Speaking at the second reading of the bill, Rodriguez said he has "fixed" concerns raised by critics of a previous version of the legislation that it would clamp down on people watching or creating content for social media platforms.
That version of the bill failed to become law before the election after concerns were raised that social media influencers or people uploading homemade videos to YouTube could be affected by it.
Rodriguez said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which will be in charge of regulating online streaming platforms as well as traditional broadcasters, "will have no power to regulate the everyday use of social media by Canadians."
But the Conservatives said concerns still exist that the law could apply to people using and posting content on social media. John Nater, the Tory heritage critic, said "this 'just trust us' approach does not inspire confidence."
He also said there were questions about the definition of Canadian films and TV productions.
"Canadians want to know what constitutes Canadian content," Nater said.
The Conservatives would not support the bill at second reading but would make amendments when it is scrutinized later by a House of Commons committee, he said.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Rodriguez said the bill would do much to support Canada's creative industries, including French-Canadian music and film.
He said the government listened to concerns about the regulation of people's social media content, such as "cat videos," and had "fixed the problem."
Rodriguez said he consulted many influencers and online creators, adding they are "incredible people ... and some of them are making a fortune -- but this bill is not about them."
He said only exclusively commercial content -- for example, a professionally-produced song on YouTube which is also available on Spotify -- would be affected.
But he said the law needed to be updated because "two-thirds of Canadians are listening to their music on YouTube."
"If you find a song by The Weeknd on YouTube and you find exactly that same song on Spotify, then it should be treated equally," he said.
Rodriguez said the new law would raise more money for Canada's creative industries from streaming platforms but would provide "flexibility" for companies such as Netflix and Disney to give input on how they contribute because they operate in different ways.
"Netflix has a business model which is very different from Disney, which is very different from Spotify on the musical side," he said. "We have to understand that they have those different business models and we have to add value to the mix and take that into consideration."
"What we are setting up are objectives and how they will reach those objectives will depend on discussions and negotiations."
Some online platforms could commit to making a percentage of content Canadian and others could contribute to a fund that would afterward be distributed to Canadian artists and creators.
The minister said he was optimistic that Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs would support the bill.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.
Local Spotlight
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.