Advocacy

Late Wednesday, November 7, the Government of Canada announced that it was ordering TikTok’s offices in Canada to shut down after a “national security review”. While the Government has indicated the app will remain available in Canada and Canadian creators will continue to be able to upload content to TikTok, it means that TikTok will no longer be able to offer local support for the Digital Creator community.

Digital First Canada is deeply disappointed in this seemingly arbitrary decision. While we appreciate that some have concerns regarding TikTok, user data and foreign interference, closing TikTok’s Canadian offices does not in any way address these concerns and only harms the Digital Creator community. Further, the Government’s assertion that this decision only affects TikTok employees, “most of whom aren’t Canadian citizens”, is completely untrue, as we all know many Canadians working at TikTok and the decision directly affects all Canadian creators on TikTok. In our view, this calls the entire factual basis for this decision into serious question.

TikTok Canada has rejected the Government’s allegations and will be challenging the Government’s shut-down order in court. In the meantime, it is important that the Canadian digital creator community ensure the Government understands that this decision will negatively impact Canadian creators.

• Send an email to the responsible Minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, to express your concerns. To make this easier for you, we’ve pulled together a rough draft for you to revise and personalize as you feel appropriate
• Stay informed. Follow DFC on twitter / X for information on the latest developments https://twitter.com/DigitalFirstCan
• Get involved. Email [email protected] if you are a Creator that would like to be more active in the important upcoming activities

We deeply appreciate the support, emails, and phone calls from Digital Creators and their fans, and we remain committed to continuing the fight.

• Bill C-11 Update: DFC is currently engaging with the CRTC on the implementation of Bill-C-11. The CRTC has issued it’s first decision and while DFC’s are not directly impacted they remain not included in the system you can find the decision here
• What now: The CRTC will undergo a few additional important consultations. One is the definition of “Canadian Content”. We will be looking to ensure that whatever that definition is DFC’s are not negatively impacted. The CRTC will also define what obligations the platforms have to “display” or “make discoverable” Canadian Content. This could have a serious impact DFC’s and we are following these consultations with urgency
• What’s Next: We are keeping our eye on a few other pieces of legislation including Bill-C63 “The Online Harms Bill” and the TikTok legislation in the US, both which could impact Creators. If you want to be involved you can reach out to us at [email protected]

• Stay informed. Follow DFC on twitter for information on CRTC consultations https://twitter.com/DigitalFirstCan
• Get involved. Email [email protected] if you are a Creator that would like to be more active in the important upcoming activities

We are extremely grateful for all the support, emails and phone calls made by Digital Creators and their fans, and we will not stop fighting.

• DFC continues to work with Platforms and provide feedback from Canadian Creators.
• DFC has consulted with many funding bodies in Canada as they look to include Digital Creators in their plans. This includes CMF, IPF, and Telus Funds.
• DFC is hard at work securing discounts and preferred rates for Creators with vendors including Henry’s Camera Store, and Fasken Law firm. If you would like more information on discounts send us an email [email protected]