Leslyn Lewis debating in the House of Common on Bill C-11 (English)

The Honourable Member for Haldimand Norfolk.
Thank you.
Social media platforms and Internet search engines
are the main source of news and
information for the majority of Canadians.
Canadians rely on online sources not just
for information, but to share their unfiltered
stories and their creative expressions.
The Internet is a powerful resource.
It has made presidents, prime
ministers, and even celebrities.
The immense power of the Internet can be
used as a shield or as a sword.
As a shield, it is an opportunity for
the average person to participate in the media
and to be able to showcase their talents
without going through big broadcasting networks.
As a sword, it can be used as a
form of control and a limitation on free speech.
Woe unto you if the Internet falls under the
control and the force of a government that will
use it to divide, demonize and control.
We have seen that authoritarian governments have gone so
far as to systemically censor and limit thought, free
speech and freedom of press by using the Internet.
While we want to trust our governments,
unfortunately, we have seen that this Liberal
government has not so subtle agenda of
controlling and overreaching.
As law-makers, we must resist the desire to distrust and
unduly control Canadians in a free and Democratic society.
We must also resist any government initiatives to
try to mold Canadians opinions and preferences by
limiting their online options and opportunities.
Neither the Liberals nor any government, regardless
of your political stripe, can be trusted
to be neutral referees of what is
preferred speech and preferred content.
The Prime Minister's response to one of the biggest
protests of our time is evidence of this.
We saw that our Prime Minister refused to
listen to legitimate concerns of fellow Canadians, even
when those who trucked from clear across the
country came to just have a conversation, choosing
instead to label people as racist, misogynist, anti
science people with unacceptable views.
And this was done in order
to silence and cancel their voices.
A Prime Minister who can hardly tolerate
differences of opinions within his own cabinet
and party cannot be trusted to respect
the different opinions and preferences of Canadians.
Freedom and the opportunity to share information
and content must be protected, and primarily,
it must be protected from governmental interference.
Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act,
opens the doors to government control of
Canadians through their Internet activity and speech.
We've heard these concerns about this government
in the last iteration of this bill.
Unfortunately, the same concerns remain with this bill.
The Honorable Minister has stated that the
intent is to level the playing field
for Canadian creators and producers.
It is argued that Bill C-11 will make
it easier for Canadians to access Canadian content.
And while this objective is noble, unfortunately
this legislation continues to be fundamentally flawed,
just as the previous bill.
Primarily it gives the Canadian Radio, Television and
Communications Commission the power to control what Canadians
can and cannot access and view.
As a result, the government inevitably can begin
to drift into the authoritarian territory, tempted to
block, hide, and promote certain content.
Under this new bill, as you scroll through the
latest videos on YouTube or Google searches, the government's
algorithms will decide what pops up in your search.
This is an attempt to control and censor
any content they find inconvenient or un-Canadian.
In effect, this government would control what you
see when you search for a video on
YouTube or conduct a search on Google.
By so doing, the government would
be picking winners and losers.
By predetermining which content creators are worthy
of viewing and hiding content, the government
thinks Canadians should not see.
More nefariously, this legislation could be used to
control and limit speech and opinions
that differ from those in power.
Believing the far reaching impact of this bill is
potentially more dangerous than we can ever imagine.
You see, Madam Speaker, when it comes down
to it, the problem with this legislation is
that it leaves the impression that Canadians cannot
be trusted with their online choices.
And the Liberals don't think that Canadian
creators can thrive without their meddling.
The reality is that Canada has produced a tremendous
amount of art and talent to share with the
world, and they do extremely well when compared to
their global counterparts and on platforms such as YouTube.
Madam speaker, this means that before the
Liberals started meddling with regulating the Internet,
many Canadians had already had successful media
careers online without government oversight.
Also very problematic with this bill is
a lack of clarity around the definition
of what constitutes Canadian content.
In addition, because of this stringent Canadian
content requirements, many new emerging artists will
not be considered Canadian enough to be
protected and promoted under Bill C-11.
These requirements will also adversely impact on
minority communities in Canada who rely on
cultural content from their home country.
Canadians may be blocked from accessing ethnic streaming
service providers who will choose rather to opt
out of Canadian market rather than pay the
high cost and enter into the red tape.
As Parliamentarians, we need to know exactly how this bill
will be applied before it is enacted, and the regulatory
decisions should not be left up to the CRTC.
Madam Speaker, I want to raise another point
that is related to this topic and one
that many Canadians are greatly disturbed by.
Last year, MPs of all parties were horrified to
learn of the abuse being facilitated by MyGIG, which
has a corporate presence right here in Canada.
We were encouraged to see Members of Parliament from
all parties, including many of our colleagues across the
aisle question why a company should make billions off
of broadcasting the abuse of others.
But here we are now talking about making the
Internet safer, more friendly for Canadians, better for children.
And our focus is on whether someone is
generating revenue from TikTok and how the CRTC
can make them pay into the system?
Is this bill all about money and controlling
what Canadians think and manufacturing group-think?
Where is the decisive action to
address the broadcasting of sexual violence?
Where is the urgency to protect vulnerable
girls, women, boys, men in society?
If we're talking about making the Internet safer for
our kids, maybe worry a little less about what
Netflix is airing and more about why a giant
company has been profiting from broadcasting sex traffic girls.
What is the priority of this bill?
Shouldn't we be more worried about the access of
our children to sexual violence instead of worrying about
whether the content is made in Canada?
In closing, Madam Speaker, it is in many ways,
this bill is an attack on free speech.
It is an attempt to control what Canadians
say and watch online, and it shows that
this government has its priorities all wrong.
I would call upon my colleagues to rethink
this bill and to work together to truly
make Canada a safer and freer country.
Thank you.
Questions and Comments
Secretary of the Government House Leader.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker.
My question to the member is with respect to
the importance of Canadian culture and why it is
that the Conservative Party has made the determination that
it's not worthwhile for us to protect and encourage,
promote and provide additional support for our arts community
from coast to coast to coast, which is from
my perspective and I believe the vast majority of
Canadians perspective, a positive thing.
Recognizing it's not only important to recognize it,
but there is a need to protect it.
Does the Member of the Conservative Party
not recognize the need to protect our
culture and heritage and our arts industry?
The Honorable for Haldimand-Norfolk
thank you for the question. Absolutely.
Canadian content is very important.
The problem is that this bill
cannot define what Canadian content is.
We have Canadian producers who would not be
considered in the category of Canadian content.
So until this bill can properly define Canadian content, it
is hard to say that the Liberals are attempting to
protect it because they have not defined it.
Questions and Comments
Honorable Member ...
I'd like to thank the member for her speech, and
I have a question with regard to the algorithms.
The Department said that it wanted to focus on
results in terms of discoverability, but I'm wondering how
it would be possible to have the same results
if we're not using the algorithms.
And that is something that is common
on the platforms and on social media.
So shouldn't that be added to the bill?
The Member for Haldimand-Norfolk.
Thank you, the Honorable Member for her question.
In fact, we are actually using algorithms, currently.
What this bill proposes is that they will choose
which content, which speech, what Canadians must view.
In the current system,
The algorithms are driven by an
individual's choice of what they want.
What this bill proposes is that they should usurp
that choice and they should impose the government's choice
upon the people and that is what we're opposing.
Thank you.
Questions and Comments. The Honourable Member for Edmonton-Griesbach.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.
I want to thank my honorable colleague for
their impassionate speech and some of the issues
that are really present to that member.
But one area in particular, given the COVID-19
pandemic, artists have been hit hard, not only across
the country but in my district of Edmonton-Griesbach.
This legislation would find ways to ensure that
small content creators ensure that they actually get
the surplus and funding they need.
I have a community member organization called
Arts on the Ave and they're suffering
right now, and they needed this bill.
They need to show that Canadian content
matters with a member comment on supporting
small businesses, particularly arts businesses in Canada.
The Honorable Member for Haldimand-Norfolk.
I thank the Honorable Member for his question.
And yes, the support of small businesses is very
important, and that's why I would encourage small business
funds to be created to assist in that capacity.
But to limit Canadians choice and what they can
see and for a government to dictate and pick
winners and losers is not the Canadian way.
Thank you. For another question. A brief question.
The Honourable Member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. Thank you.
The Honourable Member for Haldimand-Norfolk.
Is she aware that the bill consistently says that
it's within the meaning of the protections of freedom
of expression and the Charter both in the original
broadcasting act and in these amendments?
I don't see, although I'm very suspicious of
government, anyway that the government is trying to control
what we think or say under Bill C-11.
Brief answer from
the Member for Haldimand-Norfolk.
I would vehemently disagree with the Honorable Member.
In fact, the proposition is that the government will
use algorithms and decide to pick winners and losers, decide
which content should show up above others.
And it would create a lot of
problems, especially in smaller rural communities,
in ethnic communities.
Many communities actually get their Canadian
content from outside Canada, from producers
that are producing content outside Canada.
And this would not be included in this bill. Thank you.