Guilbeault cited lobbyists paid by own dept to counter critics of Internet censorship bill
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault quoted a lobby group to support his push for an online censorship bill in the House of Commons, but failed to mention that the group received a five-year grant from his own department.
Bill C-10 An Act To Amend The Broadcasting Act would grant federal agencies power to censor user-generated content on the Internet.
According to Blacklock's Reporter:
Minister Guilbeault raised the group’s claim in the Commons without mentioning his department had subsidized the Coalition. “I have in front of me a press release from the Canadian Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions which says, regarding Bill C-10, that these characterizations are factually incorrect and dangerously misleading.” said Guilbeault.
The quote was taken from the Coalition's April 28, 2021 press release which reads, in part:
In recent days, some have critiqued this Bill as an “affront to freedom of expression” resulting in an “open ended censorship regime for the internet.” The Conservative Party of Canada has made clear its opposition to this Bill. Each point to recent amendments to article 4.1.(1) as infringing on Canadians’ rights. These comments have put in jeopardy the progress of Bill C-10 through Parliament in advance of the summer.
Let us be clear: these characterizations are both factually incorrect and dangerously misleading. They represent neither the text nor the purpose of Bill C-10.
Canadian Heritage handed a five-year $375,000 grant to the Coalition in 2019.
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