Canada has officially passed Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act. This new law aims to assist Canadian content creators after two and a half years of legislative debate. Bill C-11 is a reform of the Canadian Broadcasting Act that was enacted in 1991. The new bill has faced opposition from Canadian influencers, content creators, and YouTube, as many fear that it grants the government more control over the content consumed by citizens.

Many see this new legislation as giving authorities excessive power over the content available on various platforms. Bill C-11 will compel media companies like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and TikTok to increase their support for Canadian-made content. This means that the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will have the ability to regulate the entertainment provided by these platforms, potentially leading to censorship and the overriding of viewer preferences.

The CRTC already oversees radio and television broadcasters, imposing regulations on the amount of Canadian content broadcast and requiring creators to allocate a significant portion of their revenue to producing Canadian content. With the implementation of Bill C-11, these regulations are likely to extend to popular streaming platforms such as Spotify, Netflix, and YouTube.