Q&A: Streamers, social media, and cabinet shuffles — a digital policy check-in with Josh Tabish

Parliament’s spring session saw lawmakers debating a host of digital issues, ranging from lawful access to streamer contribution requirements. But as the summer heat has ensnared the nation’s capital, politicians have traded filibusters for floaties, making for a toned-down stretch on the policy front. So, The Wire Report caught up with Josh Tabish, senior director of the Chamber of Progress and one of Canada’s leading digital policy commentators, to discuss what he’s watching ahead of the House of Commons’ autumnal return. Looking ahead to the fall, what do you think are the big issues in the world of Canadian digital policy? I think Ottawa is going to have a pretty full slate this fall. There was a big flurry of bills that were introduced right at the end of the last session that are going to kick off in earnest in September, and some bills that are outstanding still need to be finished. I’d start by focusing on Bill C-22, which generated a lot of controversy in the spring from tech companies, civil liberties organizations, and other advocacy groups, including the Chamber of Progress. While the amendments brought forward by the government were a step in the right direction, they remain half measures in our view that leave pretty serious issues unresolved. Is that the only bill you’re looking at? Another bill that will get a lot of attention is the government’s online harms package. As experts began to digest the bill at the end of last session, it became clear there are some tricky order of operations issues. The government is envisioning a social media ban that takes effect fairly soon after the bill is passed, and what experts have identified is that there will be a time frame where young people are banned from the platforms, but the new regulator is being developed and the rules are being built. So, it could be several years before the platforms know what kind of safety guidelines they’re building to get an exemption from the ban and let young people back on. We know these bans have enforcement issues and they’re easy for kids to get around, so I’m worried kids will get around the ban after it goes into effect, get back on the platforms they were on, and see that not a lot has changed, while the government sorts out the final safety standard. I think that’s a risky approach that we would like the government to rethink in the fall. Is there any point in discussing digital policy in Canada before we know what will happen with North America’s free trade agreement? There’s no doubt Ottawa is paying attention to what Washington thinks. I also see a real change in the government’s approach to digital policy, and the streaming file is a good example. We’re seeing the government recognize the limits of the previous approach under the Online Streaming Act, the risks and uncertainty it introduced into the production system, and the problems resulting from various legal disputes. They want to take a different approach to inject cash into the ecosystem on a faster timeline, and I actually think that approach is a good one. It’s just not immediately clear where they go from here. We know a payment is due soon for many of the streamers. We know there’s a policy direction coming, but we don’t know what the fate of the previous policy direction is, so the big question for the fall is where the government goes from here on the streaming file. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) has been in office for more than a year. He’s axed the digital services tax and seemingly reversed course on streamers, but his administration has also revived and expanded the digital safety regulator under online harms legislation. How would you compare and contrast this government’s digital policies with the Trudeau-era Liberals? With the Carney government, we’re seeing a rejection of some of the broader protectionist impulses of the Trudeau government. We’re seeing a shift on the streaming file that’s going to make the environment more favourable for foreign investment and isn’t going to raise costs for consumers. On artificial intelligence, we’ve seen this government take a much more targeted approach to regulation and supporting innovation and Canadian champions like Cohere Inc. On the social media bill, we’re seeing a much more focused effort that has shed itself of the more controversial parts of their previous effort. So, I think we’re seeing a government alert to the geopolitical realities in which we find ourselves, but also trying to create a more favourable business environment for companies operating here. Switching gears, it wouldn’t be summer in Ottawa without rumours of a cabinet shuffle. Do you think Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic—Cartierville, Que.) have done a good job? Should they be shuffled out? It’s certainly no secret that there are rumours, but they’ve been persisting long enough that I wonder if it’s actually ever going to happen. On Bill C-22, I think Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree (Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, Ont.) and the government took a bit of a beating, and I don’t think that bill was handled as well as it could have been. So, I could imagine them wanting a reset there to try and set a new tone. Finally, a wide-ranging discussion of Canadian digital policy wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the CRTC. Is there anything the regulator is working on at the moment that you’re keeping an eye on? What’s interesting is the CRTC is presumably still barrelling ahead on its mandate to implement the Online Streaming Act, and I don’t think folks appreciate there is still an outstanding spending decision on the audio policy side. So, we may see a repeat of what we saw on the streamer side with audio streamers in the fall. I also think the CRTC is barrelling ahead with decisions on how they’re going to track and report on discoverability though its tailored conditions of service proceeding and market dynamics. So, unless the government gets a new direction over to them early in the fall, we could potentially see the minister walk back more of the regulator’s decisions. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Q&A: Streamers, social media, and cabinet shuffles — a digital policy check-in with Josh Tabish

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|July 17, 2026

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Q&A: Streamers, social media, and cabinet shuffles — a digital policy check-in with Josh Tabish

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