(Ottawa) Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne’s attempt to frame the negotiation of revenue-sharing agreements between web giants and the news media, as in Australia, has failed. The government has announced that it is rejecting two of the ten amendments to Bill C-18 tabled by the Senate last week.
“I am not surprised, she reacted. The government had been quite clear that it was going to reject this amendment. I must tell you that I am a little perplexed by the explanation that there is in the message. »
His two amendments sought to recognize that the media also derive an advantage when their content is broadcast on digital platforms and that the value of this advantage should be part of the negotiations for revenue-sharing agreements with the web giants.
It wanted to clarify the content of the negotiations of revenue sharing agreements as Australia had done. “It was the Australian code way,” she explained. So this is our model and it seemed to me that it lacked clarity to have no object in the negotiations. »
In the message that will be sent to the Senate after a debate in the House of Commons on Monday, the government considers “that they undermine the objectives of the bill which are intended to encourage fair agreements that reflect the contribution of each party to the provision online news and its benefits, and that they narrow the scope of the negotiation process and the key factors that guide final offer arbitration decisions. »
As promised, we accept the amendments that ensure that the web giants pay their fair share for the local, regional and national news they use on their platforms and we reject those that undermine the objectives of the bill. This bill is essential for the media in Canada and it must be passed as soon as possible.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez in a written statement
In particular, the government accepts an amendment to delay the coming into force of the bill for six months after royal assent, others on the definition of minority official language media, indigenous or intended for black and racialized communities.
A vote on the government’s message to the Senate is due to take place Monday in the House of Commons, but it is expected to pass with the support of the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois. The Conservatives have always voted against C-18. It will then be sent to the Senate where it could be adopted by Thursday.
“We will ensure that C-18 is adopted as quickly as possible. I think it’s been going on long enough, ”commented Bloc MP Martin Champoux in a press scrum.
“There is something suspicious about the 1,300 job cuts at Bell Media just before the bill became law,” Conservative MP Kevin Waugh said in a scrum Monday. The one who worked as a sports journalist for Bell Media for 40 years indicated that the company was more used to making cuts in September.
Several media have announced cuts since the beginning of the year, including Bell Media last Wednesday. Google and Meta, owners of Facebook and Instagram, take the vast majority of online revenue and this loss of ad revenue is hurting newsrooms.
The absence of news content on Facebook began to be noticed by users last week, days before the final passage of Bill C-18 on the revenue sharing of internet giants. However, if access to the news is permanently cut off once the law comes into force, Meta will not have to conclude agreements with the media, the office of Minister Rodriguez confirmed last week.
During an interview with The Press, Meta had threatened to apply this temporary measure permanently if C-18 is adopted. It currently affects between 240,000 and 1.2 million users and should last the whole month of June. The company had indicated that these were “tests” to determine how it will adjust its products thereafter.
“Canada is a small player, but currently serves as a bit of an example for Google and Facebook,” remarked Senator Miville-Dechêne. It’s really quite a difficult game, you see. I don’t know if it’s a bluff or not. »
The two web giants accuse Canada of undermining free internet by imposing a price on hyperlinks. The Parliamentary Budget Officer had estimated that the news media could raise $330 million.
Meta has already entered into agreements with 18 media, including The dutythe six Coops de l’information dailies and the Toronto Star in 2021.