A groundbreaking new research initiative led by Professor Michael Geist seeks to change this.
Professor Geist has been awarded an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for a four-year project, entitled “Absent Voices: Bridging the Canadian Digital Policy Divide”. As governments enact far-reaching legislation on online streaming, artificial intelligence, privacy, and digital markets, critical perspectives – for example, those of digital creators, independent media, and public interest organizations – are frequently being sidelined. This new project aims to examine why such voices are consistently absent from key policy conversations, and seeks to chart a more inclusive, transparent path for Canadian digital policymaking.
This research comes at a pivotal moment. In recent years, Canada has adopted or proposed several high-profile digital policies, including the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) and the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which have triggered significant debate and political mobilization. While large industry stakeholders have long dominated these conversations, a new and more diverse set of stakeholders, including individual creators, smaller media outlets, and public interest advocates, are demanding a seat at the table. Professor Geist’s project contends that this exclusion of non-traditional voices is not an anomaly but indicative of a deeper, systemic digital policy divide.
Professor Geist will combine rigorous legal and policy analysis with a close examination of how Canadian digital policy has evolved over time. He will delve into the theoretical underpinnings of the law and government approaches to public participation and inclusive engagement. The research will also explore participation structures in other jurisdictions, including the United States, the European Union, and Asia-Pacific countries, to identify comparative models that could inspire more inclusive processes in Canada. This analysis will pay particular attention to key areas of policy such as content moderation, privacy, artificial intelligence, platform liability, copyright enforcement, digital trade, cultural support for film and television, and models for sustaining local news.
A central component of the project will involve community-driven field research. Professor Geist’s team will work closely with collaborators embedded in digital creator and independent media communities, including organizations such as Village Media, Narcity, Digital First Canada, and Skyship Entertainment. These partners will help organize on-the-ground workshops and focus groups that engage directly with the underrepresented voices in Canada’s digital landscape, uncovering the barriers that prevent effective participation in policymaking.
Professor Geist’s latest project builds on more than two decades of leadership in Canadian digital policy scholarship. From early work on Internet jurisdiction and governance to more recent research on copyright, net neutrality, and online harms, his scholarship has consistently illuminated how digital regulation impacts individuals and communities. He has held the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law since 2003, first as a Tier 2 Chair for two terms, then as a Tier 1 Chair for two terms. The Absent Voices project continues his impressive legacy, turning a critical eye toward the growing disconnect between policy decisions and the people most affected by them.
The Common Law Section congratulates Professor Geist and wishes him the utmost success with this timely project!