OTTAWA Taking a pause from their clause-by-clause review of Bill C-10, the House of Commons’ heritage committee heard from experts on Monday who both strongly oppose and defend the contents of the legislation. Janet Yale, the chair of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel and a former telecommunications executive, told members that the proposed changes to the Broadcasting Act would appropriately regulate an untamed online sector, while also protecting users who engage with it. “Individuals who create content, amateur or professional audiences, large or small, are not affected by Bill C-10…. No one is going to police that content, tell them what they can say or compel them to pay dues,” she said.
OTTAWA Canadian documentary filmmaker and climate activist Avi Lewis announced Monday that he will run as a federal candidate in the B.C. riding of West Vancouver Sunshine Coast Sea to Sky Country. His run for the New Democratic Party will mark the third generation of Lewis’ to have entered politics. His grandfather David led the same party federally, and his father Stephen led the NDP at the provincial level in Ontario. His father is also highly regarded for his work battling the AIDS pandemic. In 2001, he was named the UN’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Two years later the Stephen Lewis Foundation was formed to support community-based organizations in African countries hit hard by the disease.
The federal government faced new calls Monday to be more transparent with Canadians about Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin s departure, with ministers taking questions about the matter in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s absence. Now, with the vaccine rollout in a pivotal moment without a logistical lead, Fortin s replacement could be named imminently.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says he sees an opening to begin the next federal election campaign on Aug. 16 if the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
OTTAWA Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is calling for MPs to support Canadian creators and “quickly” pass Bill C-10, as he sought to defend the legislation’s aims amid concerns about the implications the Broadcasting Act changes would have for everyday users of social media. Testifying at the House of Commons Heritage Committee which is studying Bill C-10 but had put the clause-by-clause review on pause in an effort to gain clarity from the minister and other experts amid ongoing mixed messaging Guilbeault said several times that the bill is meant to go after platforms, not people. “I hope the committee will resume its work, and quickly move Bill C-10 back to the House of Commons,” he said.