Liberals Now Openly Attacking Creators for Daring to Question Bill C-11

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The good news: Liberals are finally listening to creators. The bad news: Because they’re openly attacking them over Bill C-11.

We’ve been covering the Bill C-11 social media censorship legislation for some time. Recently, we discussed how a 100% staffed Canadian production such as ourselves won’t qualify as being “Canadian” under the current CRTC rules. As such, as long as these CRTC imposed rules continue, our YouTube Channel and audio podcast would get censored as if it they were foreign productions.

Section 4.2 is largely responsible for this. It states that if content is uploaded or if money exchanges hands somewhere, then it could be subject to heavy CRTC regulations – regulations that the CRTC can arbitrarily impose. Everything up to this point is not something that can be debated or is up to interpretation. It’s established fact. The concerns we raised were raised by numerous creators who are also fearing for the future of their livelihoods. Of course, throughout the debate, it has been clear that digital first creators have not only not been consulted on this legislation, but actively ignored. That, of course, is offensive in and of itself.

Now, we are learning that the Liberal government has now taken things one step further. They have begun actively launching open attacks on creators for having the audacity to raise concerns about Bill C-11. This was put on full display recently in a Twitter exchange between a Canadian creator and a Liberal MP:

Concerned comment:

I hate that this bill c11 stuff is having me – a lifelong @NDP
’r – siding with the Cons but this bill has some flaws that directly impact me. Too bad liberal mp @Chris_Bittle
wanted his Mattlock moment with me instead of actually hearing my concerns.

Liberal response:

Happy to listen to your concerns but you didn’t answer my questions and just parroted misinformation about C-11 during a study about another piece of legislation.

Happy to have a longer conversation. Give my office a call.

The open hostility towards creators was quite shocking, while at the same time, not entirely surprising. Some have speculated that Liberals just don’t like digital first creators because they represent a big obstacle in their Internet censorship plans. It’s possible that their frustration is building up towards outright hatred towards creators like us. Who knows? At the very least, they don’t sound like they are very friendly towards us in the first place.

Other users were not happy seeing this happen and have issued their own responses:

Chris this is the problem. You call it misinformation…and it is clearly not. The “sandbox” exception in the bill (4.2) is the Saraha desert and clearly includes @theDarcyMichael
content. I have answered your question. You answer mine, where is the misinformation?

Furthermore. The bill clearly includes the government mandating the outcomes of algorithms (by omission…sneaky sneaky) which effects all UGC. You guys are excellent at gaslighting but I would prefer you write a bill that does what you say it does.

You guys are the government calling any challenge to a bill “misinformation”, when it is not. At all.

Calling something “misinformation” is like a magic potion you can sprinkle on anything when you realize the other person is right

Others chimed in on this:

Yikes. Now Parliamentary Secretary for Canadian Heritage says @theDarcyMichael
“parroting misinformation” about Bill C-11.
FWIW, absolutely correct to cite 1️ UGC regulation https://michaelgeist.ca/2022/02/bill-c-11s-foundational-faults-part-two-the-regulate-it-all-approach-of-treating-all-audio-visual-content-as-a-program/ 2️ harms from discoverability rules
https://michaelgeist.ca/2022/03/bill-c

Further, incredible that at a hearing where witnesses raised broad ranging issues such as tax policy and copyright reform, @Chris_Bittle
tried to shut down discussion of Bill C-11 when creators are telling him directly that they’re concerned about its impact.

It’s on @Chris_Bittle
and @CdnHeritage’s to demonstrate that Bill C-11 clearly *excludes* @theDarcyMichael’s content.

Right now under C-11 the CRTC has power over all audiovisual Internet content, with ill-defined exceptions.

Powers must be limited for C-11 to move forward.

It’s frustrating to see Liberals constantly working against creators and in favour of legacy corporations. Their talking points on Bill C-11 have repeatedly not added up. No one has been able to advance a perspective that successfully defends Bill C-11. As time goes on, it is increasingly clear that defending Bill C-11 is probably impossible. So, with no defence for the legislation being available, the Liberals seem to realize that all they can do is fling insults at people who don’t agree with the bill. In this situation, that is probably one of the more ultimate signs that the bill needs to be scrapped in the first place.

Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.

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