Canada's digital trade talks face US pressure over language and streaming rules

According to Mark Carney, American negotiators tried to force Canada to abandon Quebec's Bill 109, a law requiring streaming platforms to prioritize French-language content, up to the last minute of the CUSMA talks. The US side, represented by Jamieson Greer, now claims the request was never a red line and has been withdrawn, a view echoed by Dominic LeBlanc. The piece argues that the episode illustrates a larger clash over digital trade rules, including questions about data sovereignty and the so-called Sovereign Cloud Initiative.

It also highlights ongoing competition concerns, such as a pending antitrust case involving Google’s ad-exchange practices. The author, Barry Appleton, stresses that while Canada has historically protected certain domestic sectors, it must develop its own digital market rules rather than cede them abroad.