OTTAWA — Canada's justice and heritage ministers will be recalled to justify a change to the Broadcasting Act that critics warn could erode the rights of individuals users who upload content to social media.
The Heritage committee is calling for Justice Minister David Lametti and Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to address new questions about Bill C-10 as soon as possible, preferably by Friday.
Work of the 11-member committee has been stalled since Liberal MPs on the committee moved to cut a section of the legislation that expressly excluded user generated content from regulation.
Guilbeault has been unsuccessful in explaining why the Liberals pushed to remove a section of Bill C-10 during clause-by-clause debate of the legislation.
MPs on the committee agreed on Monday to a compromise that will see the two ministers grilled about how the change could affect individual rights to free expression.
The committee also voted to have other experts, including University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, return next week with their analysis of what the ministers say.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2021.
The Canadian Press
