Online Streaming Act

Minister of Canadian Heritage provides update on status of Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11)

The federal government has announced its official policy directions for Bill C-11 with the goal of strengthening Canada's media sector. Pictured from left to right is Barry Rooke, executive director of the NCRA, Alex Freedman, executive director of the CRFC, and Pascal St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage and MP for Brome-Missisquoi. Photo by Shelley Mizener.

The federal government  officially issued policy directions to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the implementation of  Bill C-11, otherwise known as the Online Streaming Act early last week.

The Brome-Missisquoi riding in Quebec is represented by Minister of Canadian Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament Pascal St-Onge. It is also the home of community radio station CIDI.  The Minister made a trip to CIDI's studios last week to speak with journalist Taylor McClure about the Online Streaming Act’s key features and the positive impacts that she hopes to see unfold as a result of the new legislation.

CIDI also spoke with Alex Freedman, executive director of the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC), and Barry Rooke, executive director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) about Bill C-11 and the importance of supporting community broadcasters.

The Online Streaming Act is a modernization of the Broadcasting Act, which hasn’t been updated in more than 30 years. The goal with the Online Streaming Act is to strengthen Canada’s media sector and to support the work and creativity of Canadian content creators and artists through a new regulatory framework. 

One of the major features of the Online Streaming Act includes a requirement for broadcasters, including online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney, and Spotify, to contribute to the use of Canadian content and to invest in the creation and production of this content. 

The Online Streaming Act is one piece of legislation that the Liberal Canadian government has proposed in recent years in an attempt to bring stability to Canada’s creative and media sector and organizations as they undergo challenges and transformations in the digital age. 

(Disclosure: Taylor McClure's news position at CIDI is funded through the Local Journalism Initiative. The Community Radio Fund of Canada administers the community radio envelope of the LJI program on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage.)

Listen to the interview below to hear more: