He was explaining the Liberals’ decision to, among other things, overturn changes wanted by senators to specify what type of content the Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission of Canada (CRTC) can or cannot regulate at its discretion.

Bill C-11 tries to modernize that Broadcasting Act to integrate internet broadcast platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Disney+. The Trudeau government wants to ensure better “discoverability” of Canadian content.

The House of Lords’ proposals – which has completed its scrutiny of the bill and sent it back to the House of Commons for further legislative processes – were intended in response to concerns raised by several Conservatives, as well as content creators and platform users who are bothered or offended by what they can share there.

One of the amendments was aimed at responding to the concerns of several witnesses heard during the bill’s review, clarifying that the power, if exercised, could only target professional content and not amateur content, for example.

“The change we are proposing aims to focus Article 4.2 on the intended goal of professional music, without unduly restricting the CRTC’s scope. […] This effectively means that YouTubers, amateur videos or other content not associated with professional music will not be targeted by Bill C-11,” said Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne.

In Mr Rodriguez’s eyes, the rejected amendments would have created a ‘passe-droit’. “This means that all commercial content must be included, whether on one platform or another. So I think that if we move forward like this, we’re taking everyone’s needs and comments in some way into account and we’re supporting the music sector,” he said on Wednesday before heading to the Liberal Caucus meeting.

In a motion for the order paper, the government says it intends to send a message to the Senate specifying what changes “Das Haus” opposes. The deputies are first called upon to vote.

Asked if he feared legislative “ping-pong” between the House and Senate and a consequent delay in passing the bill, Mr. Rodriguez replied, “It’s the bill that has spent the most time in the Senate. »

“It has been studied extensively in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Now it’s time to move on. The music, television and film industries demand it,” he argued.

According to him, the government approves “the vast majority of the amendments” from the Senate.

Last month, the Association of Music Publishing Professionals (APEM) asked the House of Commons to reject some Senate amendments, including one on social media.

According to the organization representing French-language music publishers in Canada, “The amendment to Section 4 was not necessary and is problematically worded.”

“The lyrics create a void that multinational companies would benefit from when broadcasting music videos. This is highly problematic and would affect all businesses in the Canadian broadcasting system. We have to come back to the text that the House of Commons adopted last June, it has been discussed and considered at length,” said APEM Director-General Jérôme Payette in a press release.

However, YouTube, which has been pushing for a change that stipulates that content creators will not be attacked, slammed Minister Rodriguez’s refusal.

“It is inexplicable and deeply disturbing to tens of thousands of Canadian creators that the Senate’s efforts to add common sense to legislation are failing,” Jeanette Patell, Canada’s head of government affairs, told the dissemination platform on Wednesday.

The bill has also caught the attention of the United States. Two US senators in particular have called for a crackdown on trade with Canada over Bill C-11, saying future regulations flout trade deals.

Minister Rodriguez has already indicated on this point that he has no concerns as he believes the law is “consistent with commercial obligations”.

With Mickey Djuric