[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[viper37]

I always feel like the rhetoric of the pro-pronouns crowd is insanely alarmist.

That and the unisex bathrooms.

[Grey Fox]

The Centre des Sciences de Montréal has brand new unisex bathrooms and they are pretty cool. It's nice to have a stall that is actually intimate instead of not at all because we all are being treated like a degenerate drug user.

[Barrister]

Liberals are planning to cut $1 billion from the defence budget, just weeks after committing to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

Canada currently spends 1.3%.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/department-national-defence-budget-billion-1.6981974

[Grey Fox]

 

Raise some taxes, ffs.

[Barrister]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc-registration-online-streaming-1.6984400CRTC

As part of the implementation of Bill C-11, the CRTC is now requiring any streaming service or podcast service with revenues of $10 million or more to register with the CRTC.  So this probably doesn't catch your average podcaster or youtuber, but certainly would cover Youtube, Spotify, Netflix and others.

Article points out that at this stage it's pretty innocuous information gathering but almost certainly won't end there.

This is all being done in the name of ensuring Canadian content, but how exactly you do that with streaming or podcasts completely escapes me.  I mean it's easy enough with TV or radio - a set percentage of content has to be Canadian.  But when it's all online everything is a la carte - you choose what you want to watch or listen to.

[Grey Fox]

And that's a big problem.

I don't know either how to fix this but it has to start somewhere.

[Sheilbh]

I think France does it with streaming services.

Read an interesting piece in the FT on how with streaming actually the case for locally produced content (for local audiences) is perhaps even stronger.

[Jacob]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc-registration-online-streaming-1.6984400CRTC

As part of the implementation of Bill C-11, the CRTC is now requiring any streaming service or podcast service with revenues of $10 million or more to register with the CRTC.  So this probably doesn't catch your average podcaster or youtuber, but certainly would cover Youtube, Spotify, Netflix and others.

Article points out that at this stage it's pretty innocuous information gathering but almost certainly won't end there.

This is all being done in the name of ensuring Canadian content, but how exactly you do that with streaming or podcasts completely escapes me.  I mean it's easy enough with TV or radio - a set percentage of content has to be Canadian.  But when it's all online everything is a la carte - you choose what you want to watch or listen to.

Off the cuff - for services like Netflix, Youtube, and Spotify one easy Canadian Content rule is to require that landing screens, recommendations, and top search result algorithms feature X% of Canadian content (rather than whoever pays them the most for the top spots).

I, for one, would be thrilled if youtube "recommended for you" contained more Canada Heritage Moments instead of American outrage bait.

... though I suppose it might give Jordan Peterson a new lease on life.

[Admiral Yi]

And that's a big problem.

I don't know either how to fix this but it has to start somewhere.

How about you voluntarily look at less non Canadian content? 

It's ridiculous to me that the internet has given us the power the to instantly consume content from virtually anywhere in the world and you Canadians are talking about how much of that consumption has to be Canadian.

[viper37]

How about you voluntarily look at less non Canadian content?

People often look at what is suggested by algorithms, they don't look further than that.

[HVC]

So my youtube algorithm is gonna be nothing but Corner Gas and Hudson & Rex clips?

[Jacob]

How about you voluntarily look at less non Canadian content? 

Are you aware of the level of influence algorithmic recommendations have on viewing habits?

It's ridiculous to me that the internet has given us the power the to instantly consume content from virtually anywhere in the world and you Canadians are talking about how much of that consumption has to be Canadian.

And I find what you're saying ridiculous

[Jacob]

So my youtube algorithm is gonna be nothing but Corner Gas and Hudson & Rex clips?

I dunno. I'm not making the policy. I was just brainstorming answers to Beeb's rhetorical "how are you even gonna CanCon online content?!"

[HVC]

So my youtube algorithm is gonna be nothing but Corner Gas and Hudson & Rex clips?

I dunno. I'm not making the policy. I was just brainstorming answers to Beeb's rhetorical "how are you even gonna CanCon online content?!"

I just assume they'll do the same work around tv channels do and make a block of cheap Canadian tv at off peak hours. Closest comparison I can think of is pick 2-3  sample Canadian content and make a few spam recommendations for those. Nothing changes everyone is happy.

[Admiral Yi]

People often look at what is suggested by algorithms, they don't look further than that.

We're not talking about just people.  We're talking about Canadians who presumably want to limit the percentage of non Canadian content they consume.