Michael Geist offers C-18 insights
Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law and is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society.
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/about/
I recently began listening to Michael Geist’s podcast called Law Bytes. I find his discussions with guests to be excellent regarding Bill C-18 and other related legislation.
I posted the linked dialogue from his discussion with former CBC journalist Tara Henley because it displays how a legal expert on Law, Technology & Society might view C-18, the process by which it was established, and its many Economic implications to business stakeholders and regular citizens. I am not a paid subscriber to Lean In with Tara Henley which is by I posted onlybthe transcript.
The Process.
Michael’s comments on how Parliament and the Senate treated the Bill is as I expected - deplorable. Canadians have elected 334 representatives to Parliament and none of them spent any time or effort to review and critique its contents, paragraph by paragraph, to identify its deficiencies and propose alternatives. The Senate’s diligence was not much better.
How can the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms be taken seriously when our elected representatives fail to fulfill their obligation to use it to defend and protect us against the most powerful entities in this nation = our own public institutions?
The consequences.
There are two types of consequences: intended and unintended.
If little was done to identify to inevitable consequences of Bill C-18 from the perspectives of business enterprises and individual liberties, then our form of “representative democracy” is broken beyond repair. Geist described the House as engaged in “political theatre” with little or no consideration of consequences. If that is all that I can expect from a Parliament with a cast of 334 uninspired actors, then where can I cancel my theatre subscription?
The Senate was described as putting in a lacklustre effort. Apparently, our senators don’t trust that the House will accept their proposed changes and it's not worth their effort to even try! Why must I remit taxes to pay the salaries of people who are not prepared to “go to the mat” to protect my citizenship rights?
The grifters.
The list of entities and individuals who sought a place at the table to discuss their concerns about the Bill was also revealing. Many were government and quasi-government bodies. They included UNIFOR, the largest labour union in the nation, and a variety of Commissions which owe their existence to legislation that grants their rights and privileges.
If their revenues decline substantially owing to C-18, will they simply lobby the government for more subsidies at taxpayer expense?
Average Canadians.
There are nearly 40 million of us. Each person uses the Internet for their own unique reasons and purposes.
As AI and the Digital Economy continues its cannibalism of the pre-Digital era forms of employment, more people will turn to the Internet for their gainful employment as others have already done. For example, Tara Henley was a senior journalist employed with the CBC for many years and has turned to podcasting for her livelihood.
There was a time in Ontario when many citizens worked at factory jobs which are now extinct. Many of them now work in places like the massive Amazon or Walmart Distribution Centres that are the creation of online shopping and tightly-controlled supply chains under a very sophisticated digital infrastructure.
My concern is this.
When you give politicians and public officials an inch, they take a yard.
This begins a long slide down the slippery slope that ultimately results in a Crony Capitalist relationship between Business and Government.
The government’s operations always grow and are funded by more taxes and public debt.
The business operations must absorb the costs of their “government partnership” and, to remain viable and profitable, must pass those costs on to the consumer.
The bottom line? The cost of living rises both as a consumer and as a taxpayer.
No escape.
Parliament and the Senate ARE major parts of the problem. They are the root cause of our loss of freedoms and the rise in the cost of living. While public servants receive COLA (cost of living allowances and inflation-protected pensions), I am less worried about them than the less privileged members of society.
If our less privileged cannot depend on our 335 MPs and 91 Senators to work on their behalf, can they opt out of paying for all costs associated with Parliaments and the Senate?
Hell No! “All hands on deck” is the rallying cry on the Big Ship Canada heard from the passengers on the upper deck who expect those in “steerage” to play along.
I wish I could convince more citizens to read my citizen white paper called “Digital Direct Democracy” which offers a technically viable way to enable every citizen to “opt-in” or “opt-out” of selected government programs and obligations.