The government of Quebec province, Canada in May approved legislation (Bill 74) ordering internet service providers to block unauthorized gaming sites. However, its authority to do so was almost immediately challenged.
The objections included the accusation that the province was trying to usurp federal authority over the internet. Charges of censorship and calls for declaring the law unconstitutional were also heard.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a request with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to overturn the law. PIAC counsel Geoff White wrote: “Bill 74 violates a long-standing recognition of federal jurisdiction over telecommunications” and speculated what might happen if “one province is allowed to order ISPs to block certain websites.”
The province insists that its powers give it authority to regulate gambling. Meanwhile internet providers are mulling over how to comply with the law and block the targeted sites within Quebec but not elsewhere in Canada.
White called for a quite resolution of the issue given that the Canadian Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government has jurisdiction telecommunication, including the internet, rather than individual provinces.
The Quebec Finance Minister Carlo Leita replied to a press inquiry that officials have “reasonable assurance that we are acting within our jurisdiction to protect consumers and fight against the risks of gambling.”
