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Rogers, Bell and Telus run Canada. It's why Canadians have the highest mobile rates in the world. Trudeau offered to protect them for ever during NAFTA II and l

Rogers, Bell and Telus run Canada. It's why Canadians have the highest mobile rates in the world. Trudeau offered to protect them for ever during NAFTA II and let them become Canadian Media Companies protecting them from any competition insuring Canadians will have less choice and higher rates for everything and basically letting Telco's control over all media, etc.

VWWHFSfQ 3y ago
Is Canada still going forward with the law that USA streaming companies have to provide at least 30% domestically-sourced Canadian programming? I know EU and Australia did that. I appreciate the resistance to the continued American-ization of their cultures, but let's be honest here. I can only think of Rush, Bieber, and Kids in the Hall. Where is the rest of the 30% going to come from? It's going to be a lot of nonsense filler content that is only there to comply with some law. edit: actually, Apple Music might be able to cover their 30% quota just with Neil Young's discography.
- nvy 3y ago
  > I can only think of Rush, Bieber, and Kids in the Hall. Don't forget Avril Lavigne, Drake, Gordon Lightfoot, Céline Dion, Joni Mitchell, deadmau5, The Weeknd, and Nelly Furtado. Just off the top of my head. Interestingly enough I'd never heard of Kids in the Hall before today. But all of those are or were "Big Names" in music. We have (protectionist, yes) media regulators (the CRTC) that are nominally arm's length from elected governments so it's not likely to change unless the Canadian public decides that this will become a major election issue. Don't hold your breath.
  - gspencley 3y ago
    > Don't forget ... Céline Dion ... As a Canadian I was actively trying to forget that one. Thanks :( :P
  - philwelch 3y ago
    Yeah, I've always assumed that Canadians were overrepresented in popular culture as a consequence of Canadian content regulations.
    - nvy 3y ago
      Well we're certainly overrepresented domestically, but there are still a reasonable number of Canadian acts that are known quantities south of 49.
      - SonicScrub 3y ago
        Off the top of my head, more recent ish bands that never really crossed the border: The Arkells, Metric, July Talk, Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Tegan and Sarah, and many more. These bands sell out large music venues domestically, but can't gain much cross-border traction. They basically are able to exist because of Canadian Content laws.
        nvy 3y ago
        Oh shit, forgot about Arkells. My wife went to high school with the bass player.
        haldujai 3y ago
        Some other noteworthy ones include: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies and The Tragically Hip. Of course one shouldn't forget what is perhaps Canada's greatest contribution to music: Nickelback.
  - TylerE 3y ago
    Neil Young!
  - regpertom 3y ago
    Hi sorry can I add Norm Mac Donald to the list? Ty.
  - Grum9 3y ago
    [dead]
- thsksbd 3y ago
  Well the Prime Minister himself agrees with you condescendingly saying there is no Canadian culture.
  - Pxtl 3y ago
    The fact that most people don't realize that a huge number of musicians and other celebs popular in the USA are Canadian isn't really a stirring argument in favor of the distinctness of Canada's culture. Our values may be distinct, and our history, but our culture? At least here in the English-speaking part of Canada, the culture is vaguely American with a lacquer of branded fandom for Tim Horton's and the NHL. Trudeau wasn't wrong. The fact that conservatives pillory him for this rare moment of truth-telling is part of what's turned him into such a breathy-mouthed coward.
    - thsksbd 3y ago
      They attack him because, rightly, it was his father who set in place a series of policies that destroyed English Canada's once unique, distinctly British, culture. But, why do I care? My parents dragged me into Canada at age six, I left as soon as I graduated. Not my country, not my problem.
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  Well Toronto does a lot of porn.
epgui 3y ago
These companies have an oligopoly, they don’t “run Canada” by any stretch of the imagination and even by the most charitable of interpretations.
- themitigating 3y ago
  I think he is exaggerating the internet speed and competition issues that seem to be more prevalent in Canada. I don't know if this is true anymore but a friend told me many plans have upload caps?
  - epgui 3y ago
    That part is not an exaggeration. We don't have unlimited data plans for mobile AFAIK. Anecdotally, I pay around 90$ for somewhere between 6 or 10 GB per month, and I pay extra for long distance calls. I pay through the nose for international calls (sometimes when I have to make 20-60 minutes' worth of calls to the US my monthly bill goes up to 150$). An internet connection at home (fiber op) costs 120$/month for 1.5 gbps. But it's hard to see how that relates to "running the country".
    - haldujai 3y ago
      That's a pretty crappy cell phone deal unless you're somewhere really remote. Rogers offers 75GB @ 5G and unlimited throttled with Canada-wide long distance and North America roaming for $90. I've kept my Canadian # for posterity and I'm on a legacy plan for $50 that gets me 15GB and US-Can voice so you can definitely get cheaper ones through retention (the only way to get a good deal on wireless in Canada). > But it's hard to see how that relates to "running the country". Agree that's a bit much, they basically rule the CRTC (telecom regulator) which has never made an adverse decision against them to my recollection. The running joke was they had regulatory meeting at the National Golf Club in Toronto. They do own a fair proportion of TV & radio outlets and political influence but I wouldn't call it running the country.
      - epgui 3y ago

VWWHFSfQ 3y ago

Is Canada still going forward with the law that USA streaming companies have to provide at least 30% domestically-sourced Canadian programming? I know EU and Australia did that. I appreciate the resistance to the continued American-ization of their cultures, but let's be honest here. I can only think of Rush, Bieber, and Kids in the Hall. Where is the rest of the 30% going to come from? It's going to be a lot of nonsense filler content that is only there to comply with some law. edit: actually, Apple Music might be able to cover their 30% quota just with Neil Young's discography.

nvy 3y ago
> I can only think of Rush, Bieber, and Kids in the Hall. Don't forget Avril Lavigne, Drake, Gordon Lightfoot, Céline Dion, Joni Mitchell, deadmau5, The Weeknd, and Nelly Furtado. Just off the top of my head. Interestingly enough I'd never heard of Kids in the Hall before today. But all of those are or were "Big Names" in music. We have (protectionist, yes) media regulators (the CRTC) that are nominally arm's length from elected governments so it's not likely to change unless the Canadian public decides that this will become a major election issue. Don't hold your breath.
- gspencley 3y ago
  > Don't forget ... Céline Dion ... As a Canadian I was actively trying to forget that one. Thanks :( :P
- philwelch 3y ago
  Yeah, I've always assumed that Canadians were overrepresented in popular culture as a consequence of Canadian content regulations.
  - nvy 3y ago
    Well we're certainly overrepresented domestically, but there are still a reasonable number of Canadian acts that are known quantities south of 49.
    - SonicScrub 3y ago
      Off the top of my head, more recent ish bands that never really crossed the border: The Arkells, Metric, July Talk, Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Tegan and Sarah, and many more. These bands sell out large music venues domestically, but can't gain much cross-border traction. They basically are able to exist because of Canadian Content laws.
      - nvy 3y ago
        Oh shit, forgot about Arkells. My wife went to high school with the bass player.
        haldujai 3y ago
        Some other noteworthy ones include: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies and The Tragically Hip. Of course one shouldn't forget what is perhaps Canada's greatest contribution to music: Nickelback.
- TylerE 3y ago
  Neil Young!
- regpertom 3y ago
  Hi sorry can I add Norm Mac Donald to the list? Ty.
- Grum9 3y ago
  [dead]
thsksbd 3y ago
Well the Prime Minister himself agrees with you condescendingly saying there is no Canadian culture.
- Pxtl 3y ago
  The fact that most people don't realize that a huge number of musicians and other celebs popular in the USA are Canadian isn't really a stirring argument in favor of the distinctness of Canada's culture. Our values may be distinct, and our history, but our culture? At least here in the English-speaking part of Canada, the culture is vaguely American with a lacquer of branded fandom for Tim Horton's and the NHL. Trudeau wasn't wrong. The fact that conservatives pillory him for this rare moment of truth-telling is part of what's turned him into such a breathy-mouthed coward.
  - thsksbd 3y ago
    They attack him because, rightly, it was his father who set in place a series of policies that destroyed English Canada's once unique, distinctly British, culture. But, why do I care? My parents dragged me into Canada at age six, I left as soon as I graduated. Not my country, not my problem.
nonethewiser 3y ago
Well Toronto does a lot of porn.

epgui 3y ago

These companies have an oligopoly, they don’t “run Canada” by any stretch of the imagination and even by the most charitable of interpretations.

themitigating 3y ago
I think he is exaggerating the internet speed and competition issues that seem to be more prevalent in Canada. I don't know if this is true anymore but a friend told me many plans have upload caps?
- epgui 3y ago
  That part is not an exaggeration. We don't have unlimited data plans for mobile AFAIK. Anecdotally, I pay around 90$ for somewhere between 6 or 10 GB per month, and I pay extra for long distance calls. I pay through the nose for international calls (sometimes when I have to make 20-60 minutes' worth of calls to the US my monthly bill goes up to 150$). An internet connection at home (fiber op) costs 120$/month for 1.5 gbps. But it's hard to see how that relates to "running the country".
  - haldujai 3y ago
    That's a pretty crappy cell phone deal unless you're somewhere really remote. Rogers offers 75GB @ 5G and unlimited throttled with Canada-wide long distance and North America roaming for $90. I've kept my Canadian # for posterity and I'm on a legacy plan for $50 that gets me 15GB and US-Can voice so you can definitely get cheaper ones through retention (the only way to get a good deal on wireless in Canada). > But it's hard to see how that relates to "running the country". Agree that's a bit much, they basically rule the CRTC (telecom regulator) which has never made an adverse decision against them to my recollection. The running joke was they had regulatory meeting at the National Golf Club in Toronto. They do own a fair proportion of TV & radio outlets and political influence but I wouldn't call it running the country.
    - epgui 3y ago