No to Bill C-11
Updated: Feb 13
Sent: February 10, 2023 3:07 PM To: mark.holland@parl.gc.ca Cc: tracy.gray@parl.gc.ca; pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca; Jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca; yves-francois.blanchet@parl.gc.ca Subject: No to Bill C-11
Dear Mr. Holland,
I write to you today with an impassioned plea that you decide, once and for all, to kill Bill C-11. As you know, this bill has been very contentious since its introduction several years ago, for the simple reason that the federal government’s stated agenda of supporting Canadian content does not align with the verbiage of this bill, which clearly allows the government to censor and block anyone with whom it disagrees. I don’t think that we need to analyze just how dangerous it is for one political party to be able to determine the narrative of any story; but here are a few of my favourite quotes addressing the importance of allowing dissenting opinions in a free society:
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.” – Ai Weiwei
“Goebbels was in favor of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you’re really in favor of free speech, then you’re in favor of freedom of speech for precisely the views you despise. Otherwise, you’re not in favor of free speech.” – Noam Chomsky
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell
I could go on; I’m sure you understand what I am saying. One can easily see what kind of dystopian society Canada is metamorphosing into, as we cave to the small minority of people who are “offended” by free speech and opposing views. Every day, hardworking, honest, taxpaying are shouted down as we question the logic of an ever-increasing federal deficit, a Prime Minister who, in full rabid Hitler-style, questions whether 15% of Canadians should even be “tolerated”, and as we ask the hard questions of financial motivations and corruption of our leaders. The effect of passing this bill is to quash anyone who raises legitimate questions, CCP-style, while increasing the power of the government to misrepresent, persecute, hide and malign. It is, of course, no coincidence that the CBC has now announced both its intent to become an online streaming entity, nor that it recently joined a “global initiative to combat disinformation”. How quaint that a media entity fully funded by the current Liberal government now wants to tell us what constitutes “disinformation”. Mr. Orwell was certainly prescient.
I know so many good people who have already fled Canada, believing that we are a lost nation slowly marching toward socialism. My family still believes that Canadian values – the real Canadian values of respect, honour, civility and equity – will eventually prevail over this current attack on our civil rights. However, it is getting harder every day to keep believing this.
I point you also to the fact that, out of the 96 Senators who were qualified to vote on this bill, only 43 actually did; less than half of those eligible. And, out of the 43 Senators who voted “yea”, 42 of those individuals were Liberal-appointed. How can one defend the passing of such a controversial, dangerous bill when less than half of our Senators approved it, even with the revisions they had made? Where are the 53 cowards who abstained, either to distance themselves from this decision, or because they don’t believe they owe the people of Canada the respect of casting a vote on an issue that endangers Charter rights and freedoms? And, can we question the merit of an “impartial” Senate that appears to be voting along party lines, just like the House of Commons?
Thank you for listening to my plea; I fear that the passing of this bill may be one of the last nails in the coffin for Canada.
From: Gray, Tracy - M.P. <Tracy.Gray@parl.gc.ca>
Sent: February 13, 2023 12:01 PM Subject: RE: No to Bill C-11
Thank you for copying me on your email, I appreciate you taking the time to write to me on Bill C-11, which is a bill that I am certainly concerned about.
For your reference, as you are aware, we in the Conservative Official Opposition voted against this Bill. As result of the NDP-Liberal coalition’s combined voting power, Bill C-11 passed in the House of Commons and, until recently, was under review in the Senate. Senators are appointed and are independent, however for reference, most of the recent appointments have been by Justin Trudeau. The Senate passed Bill C-11 with amendments on February 2nd, 2023. Here is a link that you can view to see any progress on the Bill: https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-11
Before this bill moved to the senate, we in the Official Opposition raised concerns in the House of Commons that this legislation will allow the CRTC to regulate any content that generates revenue ‘directly or indirectly.’ That means virtually all content could still be regulated including independent content creators earning a living on social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify. On top of the gross overreach that this constitutes, entrusting this level of responsibility to the CRTC seems to be a recipe for disaster.
In order to pass this bill in the House of Commons, the Liberal government moved to stifle debate on this through a notice of time allocation. Bill C-11 required extensive review and debate. It was wrong for the Liberals and NDP to support restricting debate and streamlining such a controversial bill that could have huge repercussions on how Canadians access content online. Unfortunately, yet not unexpectedly, the Liberals and their friends in the NDP were able to confirm their motion of time allocation through a vote. This is most unfortunate, as it was aimed to silence those who disagreed with this bill in the House of Commons. Just before this happened, however, I was able to pose a question on this legislation, which I will link here: https://www.tracygraymp.ca/c11debate
I also had the opportunity to make a speech on this bill in June of 2022, as the Liberals and their NDP partners continued to push this flawed bill through without the needed debate and oversight that it warranted: https://www.tracygraymp.ca/speaking_against_bill_c_11
Here is another link which you may find interesting, as it contains the record of all MPs who voted on Bill C-11: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/votes/44/1/164
I’ll mention as well that Conservatives in the Senate fiercely debated this legislation and voted against this. Here are all Senators who voted on Bill C-11: https://sencanada.ca/en/content/sen/chamber/441/debates/096db_2023-02-02-e?language=e#:~:text=The%20Hon.%20the%20Speaker%3A%20Do%20we%20have%20an,ABSTENTIONS%0ATHE%20HONOURABLE%20SENATORS%0ANIL
Please know that we in the Official Opposition will continue to advocate on the matter of Canadians’ liberties and freedoms and stand firmly against this bill which is back in parliament now.
Thank you again for your email and please stay well. Feel free to reach out any time.
In your service,
Tracy Gray
Member of Parliament (Kelowna-Lake Country)
Shadow Minister for Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion