The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) welcomes the long-awaited passage of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and looks forward to working together with the government to establish a sustainable and equitable regulatory framework for broadcasting in Canada.
After prolonged debates in the House of Commons and the Senate, we appreciate the work of MPs and Senators to get this done as updates to the Broadcasting Act are decades overdue.
“The passage of Bill C-11 represents a critical milestone towards the much-needed modernization of the rules for Canada’s broadcasting sector,” says CAB President Kevin Desjardins. “But the work is not done. We urgently need a new regulatory framework that reflects the realities of the modern media landscape and creates a fair and equitable marketplace for Canada’s broadcasters vis-à-vis vastly larger and currently unregulated foreign digital competitors.”
The CAB and its members are hopeful that the passage of Bill C-11 can lead to a rebalancing of the current inequities in the system, which have held Canadian broadcasters to a higher set of obligations than foreign digital platforms.
We look forward to contributing to the forthcoming processes to usher in a new regulatory regime that reflects broadcasters’ vital role as both partners in exhibiting uniquely Canadian content as well as creators of quality news, entertainment and educational programming.