Directors Guild of Canada President Warren P. Sonoda made the following statement congratulating Minister Pablo Rodriguez for acting without delay to introduce Bill C-11 to complete the modernization of the Broadcasting Act.

“The Online Streaming Act will ensure that our industry can continue to thrive and Canadian creators can tell their stories in the digital age, but the Act will also translate to guaranteed investment in original Canadian programming from multi-billion dollar streaming services and promote a diverse range of world-class content for viewers.”

“This new bill broadens the definition of ‘broadcasting’ to include online services and brings the Act into the 21st century. This will require foreign streaming services invest a portion of their revenue generated in Canada into Canadian production, bringing those services into the Canadian regulatory framework for the first time.”

The tabling of this bill has been eagerly awaited by Canadian creators, the domestic screen industry and Canadians at large. C-11 represents an essential final step enabling the CRTC to implement the changes recommended in recent years by the Canadian creators, producers and broadcasters. The DGC is ready to take part in the parliamentary process and engage with all parties.