(Ottawa) The Conservative Party is calling on the Trudeau government to refer Bill C-11, which aims to modernize the broadcasting law, to the parliamentary committee to consider Quebec’s request to include a mandatory provincial consultation mechanism to ensure that the CRTC protects Quebec’s cultural specificity.
Posted at 5:05 p.m
La Presse announced on Monday that Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe has sent a three-page letter on the matter to Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez while elected officials in Ottawa are essentially finalizing the final stages of consideration of the proposed C- 11 go through .
In that letter of 4 February Secretary Lacombe argued that the current version of the bill had serious flaws. First and foremost, the Quebec government’s lack of a formal consultation mechanism before the Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission of Canada (CRTC) issues regulations affecting digital platforms.
“Both in Bill C-11 and during its implementation by the CRTC, it is important that the cultural characteristics of Quebec and the specific realities of the French-speaking market are adequately taken into account. In this regard, I reiterate our call for a mandatory and official Quebec government consultation mechanism to be provided for in law to this end,” Minister Lacombe wrote.
In addition to modernizing the Broadcasting Act, Bill C-11 aims to update Canada’s broadcasting regulations to include the market presence of online streaming giants such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify. This reform would oblige them to contribute Canadian content and make it available to users in the country – under threat of severe penalties.
In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus and his colleague Gérard Deltell questioned Minister Rodriguez on the issue, urging him to consider “the legitimate request” from Quebec.
“The Quebec government is calling on the Liberal government to include a mandatory consultation mechanism with Quebec in Bill C-11 to ensure the protection of Quebec culture. […] Do the PM and the bloc agree with Minister Lacombe on Quebec culture and that the government should refer the bill to the parliamentary committee? asked MP Pierre Paul-Hus.
“We are working very well with the Quebec government on the culture dossier and many other dossiers elsewhere. The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Liberal Party understand the importance of culture. They understand the importance of asking streaming services we love so much, like Netflix and Disney, to contribute to Canadian culture,” the heritage minister replied.
“There is a party that has decided to give up the cultural sector, that has decided to give up our actors, our creators, our producers and our directors. He decided for a moment to abandon those who produce the best in the world. That party is the Conservatives,” he added.
” How does a Quebec member, a Quebec minister, refuse to listen to the demands of the Quebec government? I understand that Bill C-11 is a centralizing bill that gives more power to the federal government in Ottawa. This is happening with the complicity of the Bloc Québécois, which I should now call the centralizing bloc,” grumbled MP Gérard Deltell.
Mr Rodriguez accused the Conservative Party of wanting to delay passage of the bill again. He indicated that he would meet Minister Lacombe this weekend.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, the National Assembly passed a unanimous motion calling for the establishment of this consultation mechanism. Otherwise, Quebec “will continue to apply within its jurisdiction the laws democratically enacted by the National Assembly” and “will use all means at its disposal to continue to protect its language, culture and identity. »
In his letter, Secretary Lacombe argued that Quebec “must always have a say before giving directions to the CRTC to direct its actions under this Act when its interventions are likely to affect businesses providing services to Quebec or have an impact on the Quebec market . We feel it is essential to have a say in these directives as Quebec is the home of the French language and culture in America,” he argued.
Secretary Lacombe also expressed concern about the scope of an amendment to the bill passed by the Senate. According to him, this change does not ensure that online businesses are subject to Quebec laws regarding artist status. It is imperative that this amendment be clarified.