Michael Geist

Days after two government watchdogs recommended changes to the Liberals’ lawful access Bill C-22 in the Senate, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he did not anticipate any further amendments to the controversial legislation. My latest: nationalpost.com/news/canadi…

Carney is confirming the government is replacing the CRTC’s planned streamer contribution (the “Netflix tax” / digital giants fees) with direct taxpayer funding of $600 million for the audiovisual sector, rather than requiring the platforms pay He again frames it as a distinction between revenues and expenditures: the priority is the size and predictability of the investment in the sector, which he calls a fundamental government commitment. The key line (the “not much there” part) is: “$600 million is a lot of money. You don’t [have] to have a tax on the digital giants. It’s not clear that there are actual revenues there. So we made the decision to use $600 million entirely from the government to support that sector.” In other words, he is saying the expected revenue from taxing/charging the streamers is uncertain or unreliable, so Ottawa is covering it directly instead with taxpayer dollars French answer vs. English answer French: Carney is more direct and technical about dropping the tax on the digital giants. He stresses that there isn’t clear revenue “there,” so the government will simply fund the $600 million itself. This reads as an explanation/justification for abandoning the CRTC-style contribution model. English portion: He pivots to the trade talks with the U.S. (post-midterms) and emphasizes progress and success on discoverability—especially French-language and Canadian cultural programming on platforms—plus other measures to protect and promote French. He says those cultural red lines (discoverability + French-language protections) were enough to block a deal in August, while other issues remain outstanding. He closes by saying the budget demonstrates the government’s priorities in supporting the French language, Quebec culture, and Canadian culture. The contrast is that the French-side remarks lean toward “we’re not taxing the streamers because the money isn’t reliably there—we’re paying it ourselves,” while the English closing stresses “we held the line on culture/discoverability/French and succeeded on those points.” Again saying one thing in French and something else in English @MarkJCarney

The government made up the $600M as it scrambled to justify cancelling the CRTC's streaming decision. It then copied the CRTC's list of funds almost exactly, leaving taxpayers on the hook for far more than the streamers would have been required to pay. michaelgeist.ca/2026/11/back…

The government made up the $600M as it scrambled to justify cancelling the CRTC's streaming decision. It then copied the CRTC's list of funds almost exactly, leaving taxpayers on the hook for far more than the streamers would have been required to pay. michaelgeist.ca/2026/11/back…

‘We've tried that legislation; it hasn't worked over the last three years,’ Culture Minister @MarcMillerVM talks about new approach to U.S. streamers.

Has the government read its own bill? Liberal MPs spent three days describing Bill C-34’s under-16 social media ban as an “earned exemption model.” The bill has no exemption criteria, no timeline, and no regulator to grant one. Hearings start Nov 16th. michaelgeist.ca/2026/11/has-…

Has the government read its own bill? Liberal MPs spent three days describing Bill C-34’s under-16 social media ban as an “earned exemption model.” The bill has no exemption criteria, no timeline, and no regulator to grant one. Hearings start Nov 16th. michaelgeist.ca/2026/11/has-…

C-22 was sold as lawful access for telecom and ISPs. At the Senate this week, government officials said its service provider definition is broader than any comparable country they examined, including gaming platforms with chat functions and AI services. michaelgeist.ca/2026/11/surv…