MPs rush more than 100 amendments of streaming bill in a day, prompting secrecy claim

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez arrives at a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

OTTAWA — MPs have rushed through over 100 amendments to the online streaming bill to meet a deadline imposed by the government, prompting accusations of secrecy and legislative bungling.

There were heated exchanges between MPs at the heritage committee on Tuesday night as they voted on dozens of amendments to the bill, which would update the Broadcasting Act to include streaming platforms.

Many of the amendments -- including those proposed by the government -- were voted on without debate, meaning that their contents were not described to members of the public watching the committee.

MPs on the committee, who sat until after midnight voting on amendments, say they were only made aware of their contents on Tuesday morning.

Michael Geist, the University of Ottawa's Canada Research Chair in internet law, says Canadians watching the committee rush through the bill's review in a single day would be appalled.

The heritage committee was given until Tuesday night to debate amendments to the bill after the government imposed a time-allocation motion to push it through the Commons committee stage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2022.