David meets Goliath in the internet battle for Canadians’ hearts and minds

OTTAWA—At a press conference announcing the government’s decision to suspend Meta advertising, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez hit it out of the park. Joined by colleagues from the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois who support the government’s move to turn up the heat on Meta by ending a $10-million social media buy, Bloc heritage critic Martin Champoux went so far as to characterize the government’s move as inspiring. While most opposition parties lined up with the government, the Conservatives were the only naysayers. Rachael Thomas, the party's heritage critic, issued a statement vowing to cancel the legislation if Conservatives form government. Once again, the Tories showed why they will have a hard time actually taking the party over the finish line. Instead of lowballing the issue, the party tried to align itself with the internet giants, claiming the Canadian legislation was an infringement on free speech. While Rodriguez made his pitch in Ottawa, the Quebec media and political leadership announced concurrent boycott plans. The government of Quebec, Quebecor, Cogeco, and even the mayor of Montreal, Que., announced similar suspensions of advertising on Facebook and Instagram, Meta's premier platforms. Quebecor said it was cancelling ads because of Meta’s categorical refusal to pay local news producers for the product they distribute on their sites. While most Canadians don’t know the details behind the legislation, if there is a chance to support local media outlets over international internet giants, all politics is local. Google and Meta have both pledged to block access to Canadian news articles because of the legislation that passed Parliament at the end of the last sitting. The regulations will not be promulgated for six months, leaving time for negotiation. But Google has remained at the negotiating table, even though it has also vowed not to pay Canadian news outlets for their content. The consensus in Quebec is clear. All levels of government support the Online News Act, also known as C-18. The Tories' promise to get rid of it only shows how out of touch they are with voters in that province. If Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has any intention of becoming prime minister, he needs to understand that support for local content is key to the retention and protection of language and culture. Quebec will never support a leader who refuses to protect the French language, and the implementation of Bill C-18 is one element of support for retention and promotion of French. The levy is not about to break the Internet giants financially. Social media on Google and Meta currently pulls in about 80 per cent of the advertising revenue in the Canadian market, earning $8-billion annually. Some critics have argued that Canada should wait until all other partners in the G7 are onboard to bring forward collective legislation. The country could be waiting a long time, as there is no international legislative instrument for such a measure. Canada is also not the first country to legislate domestic rules for Meta and Google. Australia introduced legislation last year, and other countries are watching the Canadian model closely. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, has proposed a similar bill in the American Senate, in a bipartisan move co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican. Klobuchar went public last week to urge the Canadian government to stand firm against Google and Meta. The California Journalism Preservation Act has been passed by its state assembly and is headed to the state senate. As for Canada, the more people understand the nature of the battle for the survival of local news, the more they will line up on Rodriguez’s side. Dating back to the days of the magazine wars, international players have watched Canada’s lead on cultural issues. The influence of Google and Meta is undeniable, but they should not be getting a free ride. Rodriguez will lead the charge to make sure that doesn’t happen. At the press conference, Rodriguez looked like the mythical Samson, whose strength was derived from his flowing locks. The minister’s snowy head of hair flew everywhere while he explained the reasoning behind the government’s move. In the Bible, lover Delilah betrays Samson by shearing the locks which conferred his power. Hopefully Rodriguez will remain unshorn. Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Editor's note: A previous version of the column stated that the Online News Act includes a levy of three per cent to be returned to media outlets for the use of their content. In fact, the law does not stipulate this. The Hill Times regrets the error. The Hill Times

David meets Goliath in the internet battle for Canadians’ hearts and minds

If there is a chance to support local media outlets over international internet giants, all politics is local.

Canada’s aging crisis and a call for reform in eldercare

Sudan’s warring sides and the long-simmering ethnic conflict

Balanced approach needed on right-to-repair bill, protecting IP rights and public safety

Reflections from a new citizen

Public Safety Canada’s dealing with natural and communication infrastructure disasters

As COP29 wraps up, will Canada finally stop funding fossils this fall?

Good news story gets buried in anti-Trudeau wave

No clear path to reach deal with Google as link-blocking deadline looms, could be ‘catastrophic’ for news media industry, say observers

Bill C-18: a blow to Canadian small businesses and organizations

The Online News Act must protect access to credible news on prominent platforms

A ‘neutron bomb’ to the industry: newsrooms begin feeling impact of Meta ban, call for Competition Bureau inquiry and end to C-18 standoff

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Advertise

subscribe

get help

Get free news updates

Submit a guest opinion article

David meets Goliath in the internet battle for Canadians’ hearts and minds

If there is a chance to support local media outlets over international internet giants, all politics is local.

Get The Weekend Point of View Newsletter