By Canadian Press

Creator of popular kids’ YouTube channel slams federal online-streaming bill

May 24, 2022 | 12:46 PM

OTTAWA — The Canadian creator of a children’s YouTube channel with 34.2 million subscribers says the government’s online streaming bill is a bad piece of legislation that doesn’t recognize how digital platforms work.

Morghan Fortier, who says her channel Super Simple Songs is the most-watched Canadian YouTube channel, told a House of Commons committee today that Bill C-11 mistakes platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok for broadcasters like CBC and Netflix.

The entrepreneur argues the online streaming bill hands sweeping powers to the broadcast regulator over the internet. 

She says broadcast laws should be modernized but the bill is too overreaching and she called for a clause giving the regulator potential powers over user-generated content to be removed. 

But other experts speaking at the heritage committee called for the bill to be swiftly introduced to protect Canadian music producers and create a level playing field between foreign streaming giants such as Netflix and Canadian broadcasters.

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Fortier says her channel, which features kids’ songs set to animated videos, has had over 1.3 billion views in Canada and a light regulatory touch is key to her and other digital creators’ success.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2022. 

The Canadian Press