It is time to put a “gag order” on a government law to modernize the Broadcasting Act, Bill C-10, to ensure that it passes before the end of the parliamentary session, the Minister said. leader of the Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet.

The bill is currently before the House of Commons Canadian Heritage Committee, which is studying it clause by clause.

A gag order – an informal term used by Blanchet for time allocation – would limit debate on the bill to ensure Parliament has enough time to pass it before the end of the session later this month and before a possible election in the fall. The minority Liberal government needs the support of at least one other party to use time allocation.

“This is the only way to get it passed before the end of the session,” Blanchet told reporters Tuesday in Ottawa.

“We expect a way forward towards the passage of the C-10,” he continued. “Otherwise, the cultural community will have to conclude that (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau does not really intend to pass this bill before the end of the session, which is essential to the survival and development of the creation of the French language.

READ MORE: Lawmakers Return to Clause-by-Clause Review of Broadcasting Bill

Bill C-10 sought to update the Broadcasting Act to include online streaming services, which would allow the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to solicit contributions financials from online broadcasters such as Netflix, Spotify, Crave and Disney Plus.

It would also give the CRTC the power to require that the giants of the Internet contribute payments to the development of Canadian content.

The French cultural sector has long advocated for the giants of technology to be on an equal footing and to contribute to cultural development.

In August 2019, an open letter from around 20 cultural organizations and the members of the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions – which brings together the main professionals of the cultural sector in Canada – pleaded for culture to be financed equitably by all the parties that benefit from it, among others.

The letter was signed by various cultural groups in Quebec, including a group for the defense of directors, the Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices du Quebec, and the Association des Professionnels de Édition Musicale-APEM (Association des Professeurs de Édition Musicale from Canada).

Blanchet first said he wanted a gag order for Bill C-10 on May 16, during the French talk show Everybody talks about it.

More than two weeks later, after five meetings of the Canadian Heritage committee and numerous conversations between House leaders, Blanchet said he still did not know if the Liberals were in favor of his gagging proposal.

The bill was delayed in part because of the controversy sparked when the Liberal members of the Heritage Committee, with the support of the NDP and the Bloc, voted to withdraw an amendment to C-10 to protect generated content. by users of CRTC regulations.

Conservative members of the committee delayed the bill by seeking clarification on the impact of the bill on the Charter-protected right to freedom of expression of Canadians and by trying to reintroduce amendments that would protect the content of the social media.

In his defense of the bill, the Minister of Canadian Heritage Stephen Guilbeault, the sponsor of the bill, has repeatedly highlighted the Canadian cultural organizations that support Bill C-10, in particular the EMPA and the Quebec Council. English-language production company, which represents cinema, television, and media production companies in Quebec.

The Bloc offered its help to get Bill C-10 back to the House of Commons for third reading “after several weeks of unjustified delays caused by the Conservative Party,” said Camille. Gagné-Raynauld, Guilbeault press officer.

“We truly believe that Bill C-10 will ultimately create more opportunities for Canadian artists and creative workers and help them thrive in a highly competitive global environment,” she said in a statement. email to iPolitics. “We remain committed to working with all parties to move it forward. “

READ MORE: Lametti grilled on protecting free speech in Bill C-10

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