Leslyn Lewis criticizes C-11 The Online Streaming Act in the House of Commons (Chinese)

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 a not so subtle agenda
of controlling and overreaching as lawmakers.
We must resist and 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, antiscience
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 Eleven, 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 Eleven 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 uncanadian.
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 Eleven.
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.
Madame 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 mine geek,
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 tick tock 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, Madame 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's 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.