Pornography platforms are not happy to be included in the scope of the Online Streaming Act, also known as Bill C-11, and are arguing that the federal government should exempt them from being considered Canadian content.
A recent submission to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Mindgeek, which owns the websites Brazzers, Pornhub and YouPorn, argued that the websites should be treated in the same way Bill C-11 exempts video games.
MindGeek representatives claimed that the content available on its websites were not “uniquely Canadian” as defined under the law’s measures.
“For perhaps obvious reasons, explicit adult entertainment websites do not fall into the category of a Canadian cultural product warranting protection under the Broadcasting Act,” the submission claims.
Mindgeek has received recent flack from the federal government and child protection groups for having hosted child pornography on its various video platforms.
“Although those in the adult entertainment industry are proud of the work they do, they would acknowledge that their content is not meant to contribute to the uniquely Canadian interests the Broadcasting Act is designed to protect,“ claimed Mindgeek.
“As elemental as explicit adult entertainment is to the human condition, it is not an expression of Canadian cultural identity that Canadians expect the federal government to protect.”
The company also argued that if the government decides that porn is subject under Bill C-11, it should be entitled to the same taxpayer funding other cultural endeavours are able to receive in Canada.
Senator Julie Miville-Dechene has said that she was “appalled” by the company’s submission and wants to impose an age verification on access to the company’s websites so that children cannot access porn.
“They are talking about the rights of sex workers, that are part of the issue, but in these two submissions there is not a word about the welfare of children,” said Dechene.
“There is no reason why Pornhub should be exempted from this law. It should be regulated and should be obligated to have age verifications for minors.”
