Finance

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance met to study Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, and heard from the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller, and officials from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), including Chairperson Vicky Eatrides.

Minister Miller defended the $772 million in budget 2025 for arts, culture, media and journalism, including $150 million for CBC/Radio-Canada, funding for the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, and the National Film Board, and investments in official languages and local festivals. He argued that a well-funded public broadcaster is a key pillar of democracy and that the CBC is less funded per capita than comparable countries, rejecting Conservative calls to defund it. He also stated that the only corrective measure in the BIA fixes a technical error where a privacy provision in Bill C-11 was unintentionally overwritten by Bill C-13, restoring Parliament's original intent. On Bill C-11, he said the CRTC is expected to do its job of regulating platforms to ensure Canadian content, and he would not assure Canadians that algorithms would not be compelled, disagreeing with Conservative concerns about censorship.

CRTC Chairperson Vicky Eatrides outlined the commission's work on telecommunications, including a broadband fund connecting over 54,000 homes, and on broadcasting, where the Online Streaming Act is being implemented with an estimated $200 million per year in base contributions from online streamers. She noted that cellphone prices have decreased by over 37% in four years due to competition measures. On Bill C-11, she said the CRTC does not regulate algorithms, as the act prohibits it, and that discoverability rules are still being developed through public proceedings, disagreeing with Conservative suggestions that the CRTC compels algorithm changes. She also stated that the CRTC has no role in regulating sextortion or pure fraud, which are criminal matters for law enforcement.

Scott Hutton, Vice-President of Consumer, Analytics and Strategy, added that the CRTC works collaboratively with partners on scam calls under a civil regime and promotes compliance with Canada's anti-spam law, but cannot comment on prosecutions. He explained that network-sharing rules are designed to boost competition while ensuring companies can still invest in infrastructure.

Rachelle Frenette, General Counsel, clarified that the technical amendment in Bill C-15 restores an interpretive privacy provision inadvertently removed from the Broadcasting Act, but noted the CRTC already considers privacy in its work and complies with the Privacy Act.

Scott Shortliffe, Vice-President of Broadcasting, stated that the CRTC regulates the entire broadcasting system, including traditional television and radio, and that the new definition of Canadian content is based on a points system meant to be neutrally applied. He said the CRTC has not yet defined what constitutes a podcast but has stated it will not regulate them, and that decisions on discoverability are still forthcoming and based on public records. He also noted that the CRTC is in touch with European regulators on AI but is building its own record on broadcasting, while acknowledging that deepfakes on social media are outside its jurisdiction.

The committee also heard debate on the ministerial exemption clause in Bill C-15, with Conservative members arguing it gives the minister undemocratic powers to exempt any person from federal law, while Minister Miller maintained it is a useful but sparingly used tool.