{"id":19048,"date":"2025-04-09T05:17:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T09:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=19048"},"modified":"2025-04-10T21:58:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T01:58:23","slug":"minister-of-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=19048","title":{"rendered":"Minister of Communications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should the next Canadian government have a Minister of Communications?<\/p>\n

The Minister of Communications used to be a stand-alone Cabinet position, under both Conservative and Liberal governments. The Department of Communications oversaw radio, television, and telephone communications in Canada, and supervised the CRTC, under the authority of the Department of Communications Act.<\/p>\n

In 1993, spectrum management and telecom policy was moved into the Department of Industry; broadcasting and oversight of the CRTC went to the Department of Canadian Heritage.<\/p>\n

A recent OpEd in the Toronto Star<\/a> argues “Canada urgently needs to re-establish a critical portfolio for the digital age and appoint a federal minister of communications.”<\/p>\n

The authors, Peter MacLeod (principal of MASS LBP) and Taylor Owen (associate professor in the School of Public Policy at McGill) say that we need, but are lacking “a dedicated advocate to safeguard the integrity” of the communications tools, networks and services upon which Canadians rely.<\/p>\n

From 1969 to 1996, Canada had a minister of communications who oversaw radio, television and telecommunications, ensuring our airwaves weren\u2019t dominated by foreign interests. Under cultural champions such as Pierre Juneau, Canada boldly regulated media content, creating space for Canadian stories and voices. The famous \u201cCanCon\u201d rules that Juneau pioneered secured airtime for domestic artists, launching a golden era of Canadian music and television. This proactive approach wasn\u2019t accidental \u2014 it required vision, political will and strong leadership. Juneau\u2019s legacy demonstrates that assertive communications policy is vital to our sovereignty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But here is the rub. Pierre Juneau’s vision, political will and strong leadership were all demonstrated during his memorable term as CRTC Chair. His term as Minister of Communications was short-lived. He did not win a seat in a by-election so he stepped down less than 2 months after his appointment as Minister in 1975. These were the early days for the CRTC. Pierre Juneau was the chair of the Bureau of Broadcast Governors when it became the Canadian Radio and Television Commission in 1968. He was the CRTC’s first Chair. He left the CRTC to join Cabinet before the CRTC transitioned to include telecommunications in 1976.<\/p>\n

For the past five and a half years, mandate letters<\/a> for relevant cabinet ministers sought legislation that expand the CRTC’s responsibilities even further to include all kinds of online activities and content. The last Parliament passed the Online News Act<\/a> and Online Steaming Act<\/a>, but failed in its attempts to pass controversial Online Harms<\/a> legislation.<\/p>\n

Macleod and Owen observed:<\/p>\n

When Parliament was prorogued, two critical bills \u2014 concerning elections security and online harms \u2014 failed to pass. These overdue bills were designed to strengthen protections against foreign interference, limit harmful online content and hold digital platforms accountable. Their absence leaves Canada vulnerable at precisely the moment it needs new tools to fight back.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Earlier this year, I asked<\/a> “Is it time to modernize Canada\u2019s outdated telecommunications rules?” That piece concluded, suggesting “Maybe it\u2019s time to modernize the Acts for a fresh, holistic look at the legislation guiding the digital sector.”<\/p>\n

Should the CRTC be responsible for these various online acts, or does Canada’s information and communications sector need the leadership of a strong (and elected) Minister of Communications? As I suggested in January, it would be appropriate to have a fresh, holistic review of how we govern and regulate the digital sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Should the next Canadian government have a Minister of Communications? The Minister of Communications used to be a stand-alone Cabinet position, under both Conservative and Liberal governments. The Department of Communications oversaw radio, television, and telephone communications in Canada, and supervised the CRTC, under the authority of the Department of Communications Act. In 1993, spectrum …<\/p>\n

Minister of Communications<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","two_page_speed":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMinister of Communications • Telecom Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Should the next Canadian government have a Minister of Communications? 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