(OTTAWA) Bill C-18 to force “web giants” to compensate news media for sharing their stories and reports passed the Senate on Thursday and will likely become reality in the coming days , at the same time that Meta is blocking the access of several Canadians to this same content on Facebook and Instagram.
A majority of senators gave the last green light needed for the legislative proposal to be sent back to the House of Commons.
This seal of approval resulted in a third reading vote of 51 people in favor and 23 against. Very few of the amendments made are likely to displease the government.
This situation could facilitate the future if the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois continue to be on the same wavelength as Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the Commons, as has been the case in the past. .
Both Houses must agree on the same version of the legislative proposal for the formality of Royal Assent to take place and for C-18 to become law.
In fact, the vast majority of amendments submitted by senators have the support of the government or, at the very least, the government does not oppose them, according to indications given by the sponsor of the legislative proposal in the Upper House, Senator Peter Harder, during clause-by-clause consideration in the Senate committee.
The government wishes, with this bill, to oblige Google and Meta to conclude “fair compensation” agreements with the Canadian media according to several criteria.
The aim is to give digital companies six months to voluntarily agree with a range of players, including local media, otherwise they would be imposed on a three-step negotiation framework.
The first is to set a deadline of about three months for an agreement to be reached between the parties. Then, a mediation process lasting a maximum of approximately four months can be initiated and, as a last resort, an arbitration process lasting no more than 45 days.
The end of the legislative journey comes against the backdrop of Meta, as announced earlier this month, initiating its blocking of news media content from its Facebook and Instagram platforms following months of repeated threats of Bill C-18.
The initiative is presented by the digital company as “tests” affecting certain Canadians and which should make it possible to identify any problem before definitively turning off the tap. This week, screenshots of people without access to the Facebook pages of daily newspapers like The Journal of Quebec Or The Press circulated widely, triggering a wave of denunciation among press owners, media groups and the political class.