The Canadian government took its next step to censor free speech in the Great White North.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s regime moved to regulate online streaming services that offer podcasts.

Online streaming services that offer podcasts must register with the government to permit regulatory controls.

“The Canadian government, armed with one of the world’s most repressive online censorship schemes, announces that all ‘online streaming services that offer podcasts’ must formally register with the government to permit regulatory controls,” journalist Glenn Greenwald commented.

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The Government of Canada announced:

Today, the CRTC is advancing its regulatory plan to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and ensure online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.

On May 12, 2023, the CRTC launched its first public consultations. After thoroughly examining all the evidence on the public record, including over 200 interventions, the CRTC is issuing its first two decisions.

First, the CRTC is setting out which online streaming services need to provide information about their activities in Canada. Online streaming services that operate in Canada, offer broadcasting content, and earn $10 million or more in annual revenues will need to complete a registration form by November 28, 2023. Registration collects basic information, is only required once and can be completed in just a few steps.

Second, the CRTC is setting conditions for online streaming services to operate in Canada. These conditions take effect today and require certain online streaming services to provide the CRTC with information related to their content and subscribership. The decision also requires those services to make content available in a way that is not tied to a specific mobile or Internet service.

A third consultation is ongoing. It considers contributions traditional broadcasters and online streaming services will need to make to support Canadian and Indigenous content. The CRTC will hold a three-week public proceeding starting on November 20, 2023, and will hear from 129 intervenors representing a broad range of interests.

“Online services that offer podcasts must register; however, individuals who use social media to share podcasts do not,” the press release added.

“Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada. Shameful,” Elon Musk commented.

According to The Counter Signal, the Trudeau regime’s move is the next phase of the Online Streaming Act’s regulation “by requiring podcasters to register with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).”

The Counter Signal reports:

The Online Streaming Act is legislation that was passed earlier this year, which Canadian author Margaret Atwood called “creeping totalitarianism.”

While debating censorship Bill C-11, Canadian senator David Richards said, if it passes, Joseph Stalin would be “looking over our shoulder when we write.”

Richards also said the bill is “censorship passing as national inclusion.”

Liberals say the bill will promote Canadian content over non-Canadian content. They also say it will achieve equitable representation among gender, ethnicity, and related “marginalized” groups.

“In terms of diversity and inclusion, one of the goals of the bill is to put diverse and marginalized voices in the spotlight,” said Senator Dennis Dawson of Quebec during the third reading.

National Post writes:

All online services with audio or video content — including social media — that meet a revenue threshold in Canada will have to register with the federal broadcast and telecom regulator by Nov. 28.

The CRTC said in a decision Friday afternoon that its new regulations mean “various online undertakings that broadcast audio or audio-visual content that is intended to inform, enlighten or entertain must be registered with the Commission.”

“Such services include streaming services, social media services, subscription television services that are available online,” the CRTC said. It also includes radio stations that live-stream online and podcast services. Video game and audiobook services are exempt, as are those platforms that have “less than $10 million in annual broadcasting revenues in Canada.”

The decision is part of the CRTC’s implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which requires streamers like Netflix to contribute to the Canadian content system. As Bill C-11, it drew controversy over putting user-generated content under the CRTC’s regulatory authority.

After the bill became law, the Liberal government said it would direct the CRTC not to regulate content made by social media creators, and content that is only available on social media platforms.

 

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