It Begins ...

The coward who demands a permit to protest and an Argentinian who knew damn well where our tax dollars went and why have succeeded in phase of Canada's North Koreanification:

Canadians will soon be relieved of the stress of seeking out content they find interesting on social media. Instead they will be able to relax, while the government chooses it for them.

This is the intention of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, which is currently being debated in the Canadian Senate. If passed, it will empower the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), a government agency, to filter what Canadians see in their social-media feeds and on YouTube.

While the ruling Liberal Party claims the bill ‘will not apply to user-generated digital content’, it rejected an amendment that would have explicitly protected individual users and creators. Creators are now understandably concerned that their content will be hidden away from the eyes of Canadians in favour of government-approved, politically correct ‘Canadian content’, referred to as CanCon. Social-media users have concerns as well – namely, that algorithms on their favourite platforms will soon reflect the government’s preferences and interests rather than their own.

Prime minister Justin Trudeau has presented this bill, which was originally introduced in 2020 by then-heritage minister Steven Guilbeault as Bill C-10, as simply about promoting Canadian content and making it more ‘discoverable’ online. But its actual objective goes far beyond that. It appears to be about controlling what Canadians see on the internet. Considering Trudeau’s recent attempts to crack down on free speech, it is hardly implausible that he would use this legislation for similar ends – both to punish those who are critical of the reigning elite’s values, and to manipulate public opinion and access to information.

Giving the government the power to select which content should be destined for viewership and success is certainly paternalistic. Canadians should also be extremely concerned about what this means for freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Forcing government-approved CanCon on to Canadians and exiling content deemed unworthy is a dangerous way to control information, debate and dissent. It’s also a surefire way to make your internet experience tediously woke.