Interest Groups and Digital Rights

<aside> 🗣 This page provides information on digital issues that Canadian-affiliated interest groups are advocating for or against, current or past action, and response by the Canadian Government. It includes digital creators or prominent individuals siding with interest groups to demonstrate Canadian advocacy in digital rights.

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What are Interest Groups?

Interest Groups, also known as pressure groups or lobby groups, are organized sets of like-minded people who all collectively work towards influencing, changing or promoting a certain interest in public policy - i.e. the laws and regulations that govern our actions.

In Canada, these groups often aim their efforts at different levels of government whether that is the municipal - local - provincial, or federal level. Some lobby groups can be a paid third-party who lobby in behalf of those they work for or be the corporation or organization themselves.

Scope of Focus

Interest Groups advocate for an unlimited number and variety of issues whether they concern themselves with technology, culture, society, or religion, to name a few.

In order to make it clear which type of Interest Groups are focused on here, and the issues they concern themselves with, it is necessary to include what is being considered and what is not.

Included

• Relevant Legislation
  • Bill C-11
  • Online News Act
• Media organizations and digital content creators associated with Interest Groups
• Government institutions and figures
  • i.e., Liberal Party of Canada, Members of Parliament

Excluded

• Issues not significantly focused on digital rights and regulation
  • i.e., concerns of coercion in the process of Bill C-11 legislation
• non-Canadian sources of information and/or perspectives
  • i.e., American Reports on Bill C-11

Prominent Issues for Interest Groups

Promotion and Regulation of Canadian Content

• Bill C-11: Online Streaming Act is meant to regulate online internet media from streaming platforms such as Youtube or Netflix. It has made some digital creators concerned that it could harm their chances of success and monetary gain because it requires platforms to recommend Canadian-made content.
• The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is given authority to decide what Canadian content is “good” and should be promoted by streaming platforms to support the Canadian digital and media production industry.

“Big Tech’s” Ability to Influence Government

• Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and the Centre for Digital Rights have raised concern that executives of dominant tech companies, such as Facebook or Amazon, are able to influence policymaking over Canadian citizens.
• For example, the Head of Public Policy for Facebook in Canada - Kevin Chan - has been accused of having direct connection to the Heritage Minister’s staff.
• This has been called regulatory capture in which connections between public policy and private industry actors are thought to be a conflict of interest

Interest Groups’ Advocacy Efforts