Canada may soon start censoring and regulating streaming services and social media platforms and forcing podcasters to register with the government. "You don't want a regulated 'Internet Podcast Council,'" Glenn warns. And he believes it probably won't be long before leftists try passing similar laws in the United States. Glenn speaks with Toronto Sun political columnist Brian Lilley, who gave one of Glenn's favorite responses to the Canadian government on X: "Go to hell." Brian reveals the disturbing way Canada is trying to sneak these new regulations past its citizens and whether or not this is the beginning of a much larger attempt to silence voices.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Canada is now on the track to censor and regulate streaming services and social media platforms.

They're -- they've got more regulation coming. Podcasters are going to have to register now, with the Canadian radio television and telecommunications commission.

That's like our FCC.

You don't want a regulated internet podcast council.

The online streaming ad, formerly bill C11 goes into effect, November 28th.

Meaning any online streaming service, that operates in Canada. Generates revenue of more than 10 million, in any given year, will have to register with CRTC.

That's the Canadian government. Pitches the new rule as a modern broadcasting framework that can adapt to changing circumstances. To do that, we need broad engagement. And robust, public records.

It requires those podcasters to register with the government, only once, and collect all of its basic information from them. They have a new streaming service having to provide information about their activities in Canada.

Wow. That doesn't sound dystopian at all.

One of our friends to the program, actually wrote, I think, one of the better comebacks, for this.

Brian Lilley wrote the CRTC, now wants to regulate the podcast.

Here's my simple message to them: Go to hell.

Brian Lilley is on the phone with us now from Canada. Hello, Brian.

BRIAN: Hello, Glenn. I didn't think I would be able to say "go to hell" on the program. I thought I would have to say "go to Pat Gray's hometown." But, you know, there you said it. So I can say it. But I can also say it in Canada. In the future, I don't know. This is a bizarre act. Because you guys follow politics closely. Sometimes politicians pass a law. It's very descriptive. And it details everything.

I wish they passed a broad law, and then they would lead the rest up to regulations.

So, you know, some people are saying, well, this podcast registry, and the whole bill will lead to censorship. And the defenders are saying. No. No.

It won't. I'm saying, actually, it could.

And that's a problem. Because so much of it is left up to regulation of our broadcast regulator, which has done such a bang-up job.

That they'll regulate the internet now. Check out the website. It looks like it was built for the Netscape Navigator era.

GLENN: So are you concerned about -- I mean, they have done everything they could to shut you up. To shut up Rebel News. Toronto Sun. All of this stuff. How concerned are you, that this is the beginning of the shutdown of voices in Canada?

BRIAN: I am concerned. And I'll give you an example from a podcast episode, that we just dropped today.

So there was a podcast called full comment.

My employer. They own the Toronto Sun, and a bunch of other newspapers. Conservative media newspaper, like National Post.


And interviewed this woman named Katherine Birbalsingh, and she's known as a strict head mistress. Maybe you've heard of her. She runs the school. Inner City London. The kids have to walk through the hallways silently. There's dress codes. There's strict measures in place. There's expectations. Traditional curriculum.

I tell you that that is going to upset a lot of people in the education system in this country, just like it will with yours. People believe, there should be no rules.

That the kids should be at the center of everything. The kids don't matter.

You know, if this is in place, somebody could complain. Then that podcast will be taken down.

I'm not saying that will happen. But the rules are in such a way that anybody you say, that upsets anybody, who is on the progressive side. That could definitely end up taking away -- you know, my ability to put forward interesting ideas and information.

GLENN: So do you know about Chloe Cole?

BRIAN: Yes.

GLENN: Okay. So Chloe Cole has detransitioned, and is on the speaking tour all the time now. Speaking out. She's a brave, brave girl. And she was speaking out how bad it was for her when she was 11 to 12. And she had her breasts removed. And she can't have children most likely.

And it's bad. Really bad.

She was giving an event, gets the treatments and surgeries, on minors.

She was, you know, going to speak at a ticket -- ticketed event.

And Eventbrite deplatformed the event, because it violated their policy on hateful, violent, and dangerous events.

Now, how is that -- how does that make sense to anybody?

BRIAN: Well, it -- it doesn't. And that's why I am using this podcast registry.

There's a lot of incidents where it ends up being self-censorship on corporations, or Jordan Peterson's case.

You know, I know you've talked to him just a couple of weeks ago, after he lost to the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

He had to undergo reeducation training.

GLENN: Is he going to do it?

BRIAN: No. I think he told them to go to hell in Montana, and he's challenging them in court.

And last I talked to them, he was still quite defined, as he should be.

But we've got enough self-censorship already.

We don't need this. And while I understand, that we can update the Broadcasting Act. There's certain things that need to be done.

The Trudeau government said, we need to update the Broadcast Act. Great. Let's put in all kinds of stuff that could lead to bad places.

Let's make it so our civil servants. Our appointees will control what can be said, online.

Because they said, they wouldn't control social media. Then they came right out and said, yes, we will.

If you're broadcasting. So if you're doing what Tucker Carlson does. On X. And you start promising videos.

You're going to be regulated.

And as they said, well, we're just regulating the online streamers.

We're regulating the platforms. Not the individual users.

That's like saying, I'm going to regulate the highways. But not the individual drivers.

You know, pass all these new rules on how we have to drive on the highway. That doesn't supply individual drivers on the highway.

GLENN: And it also, it also -- if they say, we will just do this to the platforms. Well, then the platforms will enforce it.

That's what's happening here in America. They're just saying, what do we have to do to impress upon you, your responsibility to stop this kind of talk.

We can come up with some harsh regulations for you, you know.

Then they self-regulate.

Then they do all the butcheries. So the government doesn't have to.

Sounds like a very difficult thing.

BRIAN: It really is. In fact, Chloe Cole, you mentioned earlier. We're having a big debate in this country over parental rights around gender identity in the school.

And activists can change their name. Their gender pronoun in school.

Mom and dad cannot find out. Well, this thing in our media is very controversial. A poll out, just a couple of weeks ago, showed 78 percent believed that the parents should know.

That's not a controversial position. The 14 percent, should think, mom and dad, shouldn't be told.

That's where our Prime Minister is, by the way.

You put all of that into this context of the regulators deciding what the rules are, for what you can say online.

We're in a very dangerous place.

And so this -- this is a horrible bill.

I've been screaming about it, since they introduced it.

It went through a whole election. And had to reintroduce it. Because it didn't pass in time. And the conservatives really tried to get young people, especially to be interested in this. And they couldn't be.

We had our last election in the middle of COVID. Justin Trudeau scared suburban moms into voting for them.

If they didn't vote for them. We would all get COVID to die. Or not be allowed to have abortions with a gun to your head.

GLENN: Well, I know you're busy. Guys up in Canada, have to celebrate another Nazi I think today. So --

BRIAN: Well, you know, I'm sure we can find stuff. We can Russell stuff up.

GLENN: Well, you don't have to. Because the Russian disinformation leap will provide them for you. You just have to root them out.

BRIAN: Of all the things of our prime ministers to do.

Like, you know, he -- he is talking about Russian disinformation.

He just gave them all the ammunition they need to sit there and say, Ukraine is full of Nazis.
Because he had Zelinsky applaud one.

And then says, well, it's not my fault.

I didn't do any vetting.

It's kind of your job when you're the leader of the country. Or your staff's job. Make sure that a foreign visit goes well.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. I would be -- I have seen Ronald Reagan. Or really any president.
I say that. I should say, anybody on the right. Bringing up an old Nazi. And we should really celebrate this guy.

They bring up old Marxists from time to time. But not Nazis.

All right. Best of luck you to, man.

GLENN: Thank you, guys. Guess Canada is out.

Not going to be able to go there.