CanCon Regulations don't belong on the Internet

A Commons committee is on the verge of producing a new media study. The committee consists of MPs who apparently admit to not knowing much about YouTube. They invited Google Inc. to comment on enforcing Canadian Content regulations online. Google stated that Canadian Content regulations do not belong online.

“This is a very important study,” said Mr. Del Mastro, 39, the parliamentary secretary to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore. “I think Parliament has got to catch up with where this economy is.”

Mr. Del Mastro said he agreed with Google’s view that the government should continue to subsidize the production of Canadian culture but that traditional Canadian content rules should not carry over into the Internet.

Canadian Content guidelines make more sense on certain media such as radio, television, etc. but the Internet is a different form of media -- it gives its users freedom to pick and choose what they can and cannot see. As Mr. Glick (Canada Policy Counsel for Google Inc.) said, "More Canadian content can be seen, created and enjoyed in ways never before possible."

Additionally, it's important that the government realizes that subsidizing Canadian production is more important than blocking content online.

To read more on this, read the Globe and Mail's article here.