Fights over free speech are not limited to the U.S. Canada is facing a debate over newly implemented speech regulations. At issue is the nation’s effort to “ensure online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.”
The new directive, announced Friday, Sept. 29 by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), requires online streaming services operating in Canada, social media services and other online services offering podcasts to register with the government.
The regulations stem from the newly implemented, controversial Online Streaming Act, which requires platforms like Netflix and Spotify to pay into the domestic media ecosystem.
“At the end of the day, the bill is very simple,” said Pablo Rodriguez, minister of transport and Quebec lieutenant. “It is asking the streamers that we like–I have Disney, I have Netflix, and all of that–to contribute to Canadian culture and also to make sure we can showcase what we do best in terms of films, music, and television.”
The announcement from CRTC received heavy criticism, including from X owner Elon Musk, who accused the Canadian government of “crushing free speech.”
Musk’s open criticism of the new regulations is not being covered by media across the political spectrum.
According to the Straight Arrow News Media Miss™ tool, this story is a Media Miss for the left. The Media Landscape indicates that while right-leaning and center-oriented outlets are covering this story, only one of the 24 sources reporting on the topic is left-leaning.
The CRTC is set to hold a three-week public proceeding in November as it “considers contributions traditional broadcasters and online.”
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