Pornhub Reps Testify for Canadian Streaming Act Exemption

GATINEAU, Quebec—Representatives from Ethical Capital Partners, the ownership group of Aylo, testified to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in a recent public hearing recommending that porn be exempt from the Canadian Streaming Act. Aylo, formerly MindGeek, and its affiliated companies own and operate Pornhub and various paysites. Ethical Capital Partners’ vice president for compliance, Solomon Friedman, an attorney based in Ottawa, led the testimony alongside Kate Sinclaire, a law student and adult producer/director, arguing that platforms owned by Aylo should be exempt from promoting and funding culturally Canadian content, per the law. Aylo’s initial filing to CRTC stated, “For obvious reasons, explicit adult entertainment websites do not fall into the category of a Canadian cultural product warranting protection.”  The filing from the porn giant additionally notes, “It should be plain to the Commission that explicit adult content does not and is not intended to advance these important societal interests.” Under the Online Streaming Act, the Liberal coalition government will subject web platforms that provide content to regulations that require the promotion of Canadian culture and social identity. Criticism related to this law is that requiring content that promotes Canadian culture is quite challenging when there is no one clear “identity” of what is truly Canadian, as AVN previously reported. Bill C-11 (the Online Streaming Act) is a regulatory uniformity act requiring online streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute and promote Canadian content over others. This is a requirement broadcasters already follow.