Senators Begin Amending Proposed Online Streaming Act Aimed at Regulating the Internet

Bill C-11 called a ‘power grab over human communication’ by a former CRTC commissioner

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez prepares to appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications at a hearing on Bill C-11, in the Senate of Canada building in Ottawa on Nov. 22, 2022. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

A Senate committee is rewriting Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, after it passed third reading in the House of Commons in June. The Senate has been petitioned by multiple large corporations to amend the bill, including YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.

The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications has put forward 100 different amendments to the bill, which aims to update the Broadcasting Act for today’s digital environment.