Democracy Online: The Canadian Debate on Digital Platform Regulations
In recent years, governments worldwide have been trying to tackle “Big Tech”, which has fundamentally reshaped the modern world. The power and influence of these Tech Giants is unparalleled. In Canada, the government has rolled out a package of digital legislation meant to take some control back: In 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government passed two new bills - Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act and Bill C-18, the Online News Act. But they’ve come with a lot of controversy. In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at these bills, how they’ll affect the average Canadian, the criticisms and what this means for European legislation.
A podcast with:
- Matt Hatfield, Executive Director of the grassroots organization Open Media
- Vass Bednar, Executive Director of the Masters of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University
- Senator Paula Simons, independent member of the Senate of Canada
Links:
Official info about the bills on the Parliament of Canada website:
Article about C-11 on OpenMedia.org: What’s wrong with Bill C-11? An FAQ
Parliamentary Statement about Bill C-18 by OpenMedia
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