French-language content unearthed bill gains approval from the cultural community
In response to the presentation of Bill 109 to the National Assembly, Quebec's cultural community has voiced its support for the initiative led by Minister Mathieu Lacombe. The minister is currently welcoming international counterparts as part of the 5th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Francophonie, which takes place in Quebec until May 24.
Eve Pare, general director of the Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ), expressed her approval, noting the long-awaited emphasis on the discoverability of content, particularly music.
Bill 109, as outlined in the presentation to the deputies, aims to enhance the discoverability of cultural content in French within the digital environment. The legislation applies to all digital platforms that offer online viewing services of audiovisual content or online listening, as well as to manufacturers of smart televisions and connected devices for television use.
A joint press release from the Association of Quebec filmmakers and filmmakers, the Quebec Musicians' Guild, the Society of Authors of Radio, Television and Cinema, and the Union of Artists applauded Minister Lacombe's bill on the discoverability of online cultural content. The draft legislation designates a right to the discoverability of content that will be enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Players in the music sector share this enthusiasm. Jerome Payette, general director of the Association of Music Publishing Professionals (APEM), lauded the Quebec government's move, hoping it would ensure that French-language music earns a prominent place among platform recommendations in the long term.
Commenting on the timing of the bill's unveiling, just before the opening of the ministers' conference, Professor Destiny Tchéhouali of UQAM saw it as evidence that Quebec is positioning itself strongly on the issue of discoverability within the Francophonie. If a unified strategy can be defined at the level of the Francophonie, it will send a powerful message to digital giants that the French-speaking world will not idly stand by.
At the Cultur'IA colloquium, organized by the National Institute of Scientific Research and UQAM on the sidelines of the ministers' conference, researchers emphasized the need to consider cultural and linguistic diversity in addressing the issue of discoverability. The Francophonie, they reminded us, promotes and defends the French language in harmony with the diversity of languages considered partners of the Francophonie. French-speaking African nations with rich language diversity would not want the dynamic between French and other languages to be transposed between French and other languages. They would prefer laws promoting French not to be applied at the expense of other languages, including indigenous languages.
- The emerging trends in pop-culture, such as the discussion on Bill 109, often find their way onto social media platforms, where celebrity voices and opinions about cultural matters, like discoverability of French content, are frequently shared.
- With the rising popularity of online streaming services, books, music, and films have become an integral part of digital entertainment, shaping and reflecting the evolving culture of our society.
- The Francophonie, with its diverse languages and rich cultural heritage, provides a platform for discussions and collaborations that can shape the future of content discoverability, contributing to a more balanced and inclusive pop-culture landscape.
