Weekly News (May 17, 2022)

Compiled by Fizza Kulvi, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(May 10 – May 16, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [COMPETITION POLICY] Bolder action needed on telco competition say industry watchers (The Star)               
• [FACIAL RECOGNITION] Feds seek dismissal of planned class action against RCMP over facial recognition tool (National Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] CSE cybersecurity centre’s new boss says job has been ‘dizzying’ experience of responding to multiple major cyber incidents (National Post)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT] Google warns online news bill could make it subsidize biased news outlets (CBC)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] CRTC to get new chair as role of broadcast regulator expands (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY/ COMPETITION BUREAU] Le Commissariat aux conflits d’intérêts et à l’éthique enquêtera sur le CRTC (Le Devoir)
• [SURVEILLANCE] Canadian special forces conducted flights over Ottawa protest despite military directive (Ottawa Citizen)
• [DISINFORMATION] Politicians of all stripes are being pounded by disinformation and conspiracy theories, What can Canada do? (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] Pot shop sales data was ‘misappropriated,’ Ontario cannabis distributor says (The Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Geist: Keeping the Bill C-11 Implementation Secret, Regulating User Content, and Citing Non-Existent Benefits: Some Reflections on the House of Commons Online Streaming Act Debate (Micheal Geist Blog)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: Boltman: For Canada’s cultural sector, it’s now or never. We need the Online Streaming Act to end free rides for Big Tech / Loi sur la diffusion continue en ligne;Pour notre secteur culturel, c’est maintenant ou jamais (La Presse)   
• [MUSIC INDUSTRY] OPINION: Wheeler and Seles: From reviving the cassette to funding artists strategically, experts share how to fix Canada’s music industry (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/ CENSORSHIP] OPINION: Cardinal: La censure encouragée (La Presse)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION: Al-Rawi: Language matters when Googling controversial people (The Conversation)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Online hate under scrutiny after Buffalo shooter streamed massacre on Twitch (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] Messy Progress Made on Data Privacy (NYT)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Big Tech would get its own regulator under new Senate bill (Washington Post)
• [ONLINE HARMS] A Fringe Conspiracy Theory, Fostered Online, Is Refashioned by the G.O.P. (NYT)
• [CRYPTOCURRENCY] Crypto’s meltdown is refocusing Washington’s attention on regulating the industry (Washington Post)            
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Elon Musk’s free-speech agenda poses safety risks on global stage (Washington Post)       
• [DEFAMATION] Sandy Hook Families Close to Resuming Lawsuits Against Infowars’ Alex Jones (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Court revives Texas social media law against banning users for views (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] EU eyes Big Tech to police child sex abuse online (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] Privacy advocates slam Mexico court ruling over access to bank data (Reuters)
• [DISINFORMATION} OPINION: Swaim: How Disagreement Became ‘Disinformation’ (WSJ)

(May 10 – May 16, 2022)

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has deposited with the Registrar judgements in the following in leave applications:
  • [BROADCASTING] Groupe TVA inc., et al. c. Bell Canada, et al. (C.F.) (Civile) (Autorisation) (39861) (DISMISSED)
  • [POLITICAL ADVERTISING] Rebel News Network Ltd. v. Election Commissioner of Alberta (Alta.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40025) (DISMISSED)
  • [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Merck Canada Inc. v. Minister of Health (F.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40043) (DISMISSED)

Federal Court of Canada

• [COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARK]: Align Technology, Inc. v. Osstemimplant Co., Ltd – 2022 FC 720 (DISMISSED)

Senate of Canada

Hansard transcripts:

• [PRIVACY] May 11, 2022: Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Preclearance Act, 2016 (Second Reading)

House of Commons
Hansard Transcripts:

• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 11, 2022: Bill C-11, Online Streaming Act (Second Reading) 
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 12, 2022: Bill C-11, Online Streaming Act (Second Reading) (MOTION PASSED)
• [ONLINE NEWS] May 13, 2022: Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Minister Champagne concludes visit to Germany and Belgium
• Government of Canada invests over $1 million to bring high-speed Internet to up to 1,162 households in Manitoba
• Government of Canada launches online portal to support Ukrainians

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

• OPC publishes analysis of themes and observations that emerged from strategic privacy priorities exercise
• Backgrounder: Legal opinion on constitutional validity of OPC proposed amendments to former Bill C-11
• The Constitutional Validity of Bill C-11, the Digital Charter Implementation Act

CRTC

News Releases

• We are working hard to enforce CASL for Canadians. Check out the highlights in our spring 2022 snapshot.

    Decisions

• Telecom order 2022-128
  [2022-05-13 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Bell Canada, TN 7646

• Telecom order 2021-329-1
  [2022-05-12 11:00:00]
  Broadband Fund – Acceptance of statement of work for the Kativik Regional Government’s transport fibre project in northern Quebec – Correction – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

• Telecom order 2021-328-1
  [2022-05-12 11:00:00]
  Broadband Fund – Acceptance of statement of work for the Kativik Regional Government’s transport fibre project in Quebec (Kuujjuaq) – Correction – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

Meta

• Introducing Digital Collectibles to Showcase NFTs on Instagram

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today the list of appeals that will be delivered at 9:45 AM ET on Thursday, May 19, 2022. 
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] R.W. (Brad) Blair v. Premier Doug Ford (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40034)
  • [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Attorney General for Ontario v. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, et al. (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40078)

Senate of Canada

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate meets all week.

• Transport and Communications 
  • May 18, 2022: Study the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors and the consequential impacts on their interdependencies

Canadian House of Commons

Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House meets all week.

• Official Languages (LANG)
  • May 18, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Government Measures to Protect and Promote French in Quebec and in Canada

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 16 to May 20 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Decisions:

• FAB Broadcasting Corp.
  CHLP-FM Listowel – Acquisition of assets (corporate reorganization)
  Public record: 2021-0439-7

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBX Edmonton and its transmitter CBXD-FM Edson – Technical changes
  Public record: 2022-0102-8

• The News Forum Inc.
  The News Forum – Licensing of a national news discretionary service
  Public record: 2021-0213-5

Upcoming hearings

• May 12, 2022: Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-62 (broadcasting licence application)

Public Consultations

• CRTC: Video Relay Service Review (Mar 11, 2021-May 16, 2022)
• CRTC: Call for comments – Introduction of a three-digit abbreviated dialing code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services (Nov 30, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022) (Mar 29, 2022 to Apr 30, 2022)
• Canadian Heritage: Be Part of the National Action Plan on Combatting Hate (Complete online questionnaire by May 8, 2022.)
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Mar 31, 2022 to Apr 29, 2022)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998. Comments due: May 4, 2022                  
• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings 
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public consultations

• Stakeholder engagement on fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news media: Closed Consultation 
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Open – Accepting Input)
• Proposed requirements respecting police record checks for individuals involved in the provision of services governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998.

l Sara Bannerman at banners@mcmaster.ca 

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