Online Streaming Act receives Royal Assent

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

GATINEAU, April 27, 2023

Today, Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, received Royal Assent. This new law will help ensure Canadian stories and music are widely available on streaming platforms, and will help to reinvest in future generations of artists and creators in Canada.

The Online Streaming Act requires streaming services to contribute to the creation, production and distribution of Canadian stories in a way that is flexible and fair. The law will give Canadians more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and hear, under a new framework that will lead to a modern definition of Canadian Content that better reflects our country’s diversity. Canadian artists, producers, creators, and our cultural industry can now count on a fair shot at success in the digital age.

This is the first major reform to the Broadcasting Act since 1991. The Act aims to level the playing field and support Canadian creators and storytellers by increasing investment in Canadian culture and supporting jobs in the industry, while ensuring that Canadian culture continues to be shared with generations to come.

Next steps

Now that the Online Streaming Act has passed, the government will need to provide direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which will be responsible for the implementation of the Act.

A draft of this policy direction will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public consultation, which will include input from anyone who wishes to participate, such as stakeholders, artists, businesses, digital creators, and Canadians. Information about how to participate will be available on the Canadian Heritage website. Following the public consultation, the final policy direction will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II.

The CRTC will publish details on their own consultation process to provide more clarity and predictability on how it will implement the Online Streaming Act. This will include multiple public proceedings to update the regulatory framework for broadcasting. Information about how to participate will be available on the CRTC website.

Quotes

"Today, we are standing up for our stories, our artists, our producers and our creators. We're standing up so that Canadians have even more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and listen to. With this legislation, we are ensuring that Canada's incredible talent has a bigger and brighter stage online. They tell our stories, they make our voices heard, they contribute to our economy, and they make our culture what it is: strong, diverse and unique. Today, we stand up because our stories matter and our artists who tell them matter.”

—Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick facts

  • On February 2, 2022, the Minister of Canadian Heritage introduced amendments to the Broadcasting Act.

    The last major reform of the Broadcasting Act was in 1991, before dial-up internet was widely available in Canada.

    The Canadian broadcasting, film and television production sectors are an important part of the Canadian economy. In 2021, the broadcasting, audiovisual and music sectors contributed about $14 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product and accounted for more than 111,000 jobs. This represents about 24 percent of total culture sector GDP and 20 percent of total culture sector jobs in Canada.

    The Broadcasting Act outlines Canada’s broadcasting policy and defines the role of the CRTC. The Act is a key instrument in supporting Canada’s creative industries and ensuring that Canadian music and stories are widely available and accessible.

    The Online Streaming Act is one of three legislative projects that are a key part of the government’s digital agenda:

    ·         Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11): Makes Canadian stories and music widely available to Canadians;

    ·         Online News Act (Bill C-18): Requires large digital platforms to bargain fairly with news businesses over news content; 

    ·         Online Safety (in development): Promotes a safer and more inclusive online environment.

Associated links

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Laura Scaffidi
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
laura.scaffidi@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

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