Uncharted streams: The Online Streaming Act and the politics of Canadian broadcasting legislation

This project presents the results of a frame analysis conducted to understand how the debates in the Parliament of Canada surrounding the Online Streaming Act contribute to the ongoing politics of Canadian film and broadcasting policy. These debates failed to resolve the convergent and paradoxical challenges posed by online platforms to the Canadian cultural industries, as well as the longstanding tension between 'cultural sovereignty' and 'economic growth' at the centre of Canadian cultural policy. However, the debates were able to bring these conflicts to light, but due to the vague language and purpose of the act, these conflicts were caught within a polarized politics on the question of government interference, placing 'regulatory fairness' against 'government overreach.' On both sides of this polarization lies an emphasis on the role of the state within online activities, an administrative rationality that overlooks the organic and unpredictable cultivation of popular culture as well as platforms' influence on civil society through algorithms and data collection methods.