Streaming services like Apple , Spotify, Amazon, Pandora and Google have been targeted by an all-party committee of MPs is recommending the government set stricter rules for Canadian content and a crack down on internet piracy.An all-party committee of MPs is recommending the government set stricter rules for Canadian content on foreign streaming services and a crackdown on internet piracy.
The report says while those platforms have simplified the way that Canadians consume film and television, the shift to digital has meant a decline in payments to domestic artists.There are no policies requiring digital streaming services based outside the country to help fund the production of content in this country, the committee noted.
The committee also asks the government to crack down harder on people sharing content illegally, noting that witnesses asked the government to increase punishments and fines. However, the NDP’s heritage critic was critical of some inconsistencies in the majority report. Montreal-area MP Pierre Nantel wrote that the committee’s report addresses several concerns from cultural industries, but also objects that it suggests tighter regulations for music services like Spotify and YouTube Music than for video streaming services like Netflix or YouTube.