Online Streaming Act

The Online Streaming Act ensures Canadian stories and music are widely available on streaming platforms to the benefit of future generations of artists and creators in Canada.

The Act is about having broadcasters, including online streaming services, do a few things, such as:

• Showcasing Canadian stories and music;
• Contributing to the production of Canadian stories and music in English, French and Indigenous languages;
• Supporting a broadcasting system that reflects Canada's diversity;
• Helping to make programs accessible without barriers to persons with disabilities.

The Online Streaming Act received Royal Assent on April 27, 2023, and is the first major reform of the Broadcasting Act since 1991.

The law will give Canadians more opportunities to see themselves in what they watch and hear, under a new framework that better reflects our country today.

The Online Streaming Act is about more choice. What you watch and listen to will always be up to you.

What will the Online Streaming Act do?

Here are some examples:

Video — Showcasing Canadian music

Video — Supporting stories that reflect Canada's diversity

Video — Supporting Indigenous programming

Video — Helping to make programs accessible

Digital Agenda

The Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act are two pieces of the government’s digital agenda. They are separate pieces of legislation with different implementation processes.

• Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11): Makes Canadian stories and music widely available to Canadians in the digital age.
• Online News Act (Bill C-18): Require large digital platforms to bargain fairly with news businesses for their content.

Directions to the CRTC (Sustainable and Equitable Broadcasting Regulatory Framework)

The Government of Canada has issued policy directions to the CRTC, which will be responsible for the implementation of the Act.

The directions give the CRTC instructions on how it will implement the Online Streaming Act, including directions designed to:

• support Canadian creators and creative industries;
• advance Indigenous storytelling;
• increase representation of equity seeking groups;
• ensure regulations are equitable, fair and flexible;
• redefine Canadian programs; and
• exclude the content of social media creators, including podcasts, from regulation.

Highlights from the policy directions to the CRTC

Before issuing the final directions, the Department of Canadian Heritage held consultations on the proposed directions and the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement, from June 10 to July 25, 2023. The comments received during those consultations are available on the Canada Gazette website.