Article content
Months before the Liberal government removed a section of Bill C-10 in a controversial amendment, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault was told by officials within his own department that it was an “important limitation” on regulatory powers.
A briefing note prepared for Guilbeault in December 2020, and obtained through access to information, outlined which online services would be covered by Bill C-10. It pointed to section 2.1, which excludes individual users from regulation by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and remains in the bill, and to section 4.1, which excluded their content. Section 4.1 was removed by the government in late April, a move critics said was an attack on free expression.
OTTAWA – Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is doubling down on his controversial new broadcasting bill at a parliamentary committee hearing, citing a Justice Department analysis to reiterate the legislation would not affect free speech online.
A charter impact statement from Justice officials this week found that the would-be law, known as Bill C-10, would not encroach on social-media users’ freedom of expression.
Work of the heritage committee has been stalled since Liberal MPs on the panel moved to cut a section of the legislation that expressly excluded user-generated content from regulation.
That move quickly stirred angry protests and media commentary, with critics arguing that the change may infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
OTTAWA Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is doubling down on his controversial new broadcasting bill at a parliamentary committee hearing, citing a Justice Department analysis to reiterate the legislation would not affect free speech online. A charter impact statement from Justice officials this week found that the would-be law, known as Bill C-10, would not […]
Heritage minister stands by controversial Bill C-10, urges MPs to pass it quickly
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault today urged MPs to quickly pass the Liberal government s controversial broadcasting bill despite criticism that it could infringe on the free speech rights of social media users.
Social Sharing
CBC News ·
Posted: May 14, 2021 5:18 PM ET | Last Updated: May 14
Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault holds a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Guilbeault doubles down on Bill C-10 as opposition MPs demand Lametti testify
Business Related
Yes
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is seen during a news conference Thursday, June 18, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is doubling down on his controversial new broadcasting bill at a parliamentary committee hearing, citing a Justice Department analysis to reiterate the legislation would not affect free speech online.
A charter impact statement from Justice officials this week found that the would-be law, known as Bill C-10, would not encroach on social-media users’ freedom of expression.
Opposition MPs remained unsatisfied Friday, however, demanding that Justice Minister David Lametti come before the House of Commons heritage committee to clarify points of contention around the bill.