The perspective of Canada is useful here. Canada is culturally dominated by the US, with a 10x larger population only an hour’s drive from the majority of the Canadian population. Canadians are generally supportive of some level of government protection for the fragile and tiny Canadian cultural industry (music, the press, TV, and film).
Meanwhile, Canada’s media and telecom industry is concentrated in the hands of three wealthy families. These empires have successfully lobbied the Canadian government for decades to achieve a degree of protection from US competitors, to the detriment of Canadians in terms of higher mobile phone and internet bills, a bland selection of privately produced journalism, and underwhelming TV content.
The same playbook is at work with this latest bit of protectionism. The media empires leverage Canadians’ somewhat justified desire to protect Canadian culture to convince politicians in Ottawa to provide some monopoly-preserving protectionist measures.
It’s a disgusting symbiosis that suppresses dynamism, but it’s likely not going away any time soon.
Meanwhile, Canada’s media and telecom industry is concentrated in the hands of three wealthy families. These empires have successfully lobbied the Canadian government for decades to achieve a degree of protection from US competitors, to the detriment of Canadians in terms of higher mobile phone and internet bills, a bland selection of privately produced journalism, and underwhelming TV content.
The same playbook is at work with this latest bit of protectionism. The media empires leverage Canadians’ somewhat justified desire to protect Canadian culture to convince politicians in Ottawa to provide some monopoly-preserving protectionist measures.
It’s a disgusting symbiosis that suppresses dynamism, but it’s likely not going away any time soon.