This is very, very silly, and shows that elected legislators really having nothing better to do than just meddle in everything. To attempt to control everything
Canada passes bill to compel local content on streaming platforms
Canada’s lower house of the parliament passed legislation on Tuesday that would bring online streaming platforms under the stewardship of the country’s broadcast regulator and compel firms like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify to offer more local content.
The bill, brought by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, cleared the House of Commons by 208 votes to 117, with support from the opposition New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois.
The government says the legislation would ensure that online streaming services promote Canadian music and stories and support local jobs. Critics say it was rushed to a vote and concerns raised about the bill, such as the potential impact on independent content creators, were not addressed.
The devil is in the details, so, how much is “more local content”? Services like Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, give you the option to listen to just about whatever you want. If I want to listen to Rush, Triumph, April Wine, Kittie (heavy metal band), or others, I can. Would The Band be Canadian enough? How much in terms of local content is made for TV shows and movies? I have no idea with this, perhaps Canadians could answer. I’m sure they have TV shows, lots of cool shows had come from Canada, like Kids In The Hall. SCTV had lots of Canadians. A lot of TV shows are actually filmed in Canada, especially Vancouver, because it’s cheaper than making them here in the States. A lot of shows on the Syfy channel are Canadian productions.
If you subscribe to Youtube TV, I’m sure they give you the local Canadian channels, right? How much content does The Government want?
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill in February, says the changes are meant for commercial programs streamed online and would not apply to individual Canadians.
In other words, he got a burr in his buns for some reason, and wants Government to have a lot of control over streaming services, and, if it goes to far, those services will either a) charge more, or b) stop broadcasting in Canada. Government is just very silly.
Read: Canada Passes Bill Forcing Streaming Services To Broadcast More Canadian Content »