By Danielle Odo
On any given day, the basement of St. Anthony’s Soccer Club is filled with Italian men chatting over a soccer game and reminiscing about their homeland.
They are here to watch television direct from their native country.
But a new federal legislation could change all this. Bill C-2 would make it a criminal offence to purchase American satellite signals, which host many international programs.
Josep Ierullo, general manager of the club, says foreign television plays a strong role in Ottawa’s Italian community.
“People come from all over Ottawa and even from out of town to watch the games and the news,” he says.
While the Canadian satellite industry claims the bill is designed to stop signal theft by increasing the penalties from $25,000 and six months in jail to $200,000 and one year in jail, critics say it would prevent cultural communities from viewing programs of their choice. Many signals offered by American companies aren’t available via Canadian satellite television.
The new legislation would affect not only the theft and tampering of satellite signals but also something called the “grey area,” which includes people paying to watch US satellite signals that aren’t licensed in Canada.
The government already says this is illegal but isn’t considered theft because the service is paid for. Bill C-2 would eliminate this grey area by making the subscription of American signals an offence.
In a report released by the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft, Glenn O’Farrell, President of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters said he supports the bill because it would decrease signal theft. “These amendments will strengthen the ability of law enforcement to combat the problem of signal theft by making it financially and punitively damaging to all those involved in this kind of theft,” he said.
But Ierullo says he subscribes through American companies for his Italian news, soccer and religious stations because they aren’t available elsewhere. He also subscribes to Bell ExpressVu, which provides a range of cable channels, but says the US signals provide more of the programs his members want to see.
“People are able to keep in touch with issues going on back home. They can’t do that with the Canadian channels,” he says.
Centretown resident Graham Hillgren says he subscribes to American signals because of their cultural diversity.
He says he watches the programs to keep up to date with his European heritage and as a tool to learn more about the rest of the world.
“Isn’t that what being Canadian is about, being accepting of other cultures?” he says.
Hillgren says he thought about using Canadian signals but wasn’t satisfied with the variety of programs.
As an international business student, he says he wanted a service that could bring him as close to other cultures as possible.
“The thing I like about American satellite is that I get such a variety of international programs. My alternative with a Canadian package is only a slight extension of digital cable,” he says.
Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, says he’s against the bill because foreign media, including American cable, newspapers and magazines, are perfectly acceptable in Canada. “Why is it fine that I buy a magazine subscription from the United States but not a satellite signal?” he says.
With a federal election around the corner, Elmasry says the government may be acting on the bill now while the Canadian public is pre-occupied with the sponsorship scandal.
“It’s a sneaky way of doing politics to sneak in a bill like this when everyone’s focus is on other issues,” he says.
“There is already opposition from the Liberals. They are shocked the government is trying to pull this,” says Elmasry.
The Canadian Islamic Congress says that over one million Canadian families use foreign television to stay connected to their heritages.
Ierullo says if the bill passes the second reading, his members would be disappointed.
“It is something we like to have. It helps us keep our culture strong,” he says.