Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez speaks during a news conference on Bill C-18, the Online News Act, along Bloc MP Martin Champoux, right, in Ottawa, on July 5.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Meta has started to run ads to inform Canadians of its plan to block the viewing and sharing of news content on Facebook and Instagram within weeks, but some Quebec radio stations and news publications are refusing to carry them.
It’s the latest development in a tense standoff between Meta and the federal government and supporters of the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18. The legislation is designed to support the Canadian news industry after much of its advertising migrated to big-tech platforms.
Martin Champoux, the Bloc Québécois’s heritage critic, accused Meta of arrogance by placing ads about its plans to withdraw from news with the very media it would deny funds to by failing to comply with the legislation.
Bill C-18 would make Facebook and Google negotiate deals to compensate news outlets for posting or linking to their work, but the tech giants say it is deeply flawed. By withdrawing news from its platforms, Meta would not be subject to the act.
Google has also said it also plans to block the ability to search for Canadian news in this country in response to the act. But unlike Meta, which has ceased talks with the federal government, Google is in continuing negotiations over the law.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez accused Facebook of being “deeply irresponsible and out of touch.”
“How much money is Facebook going to spend modifying their platforms at the expense of their users?” Mr. Rodriguez said. “How much money is Facebook going to lose in ad revenue? How much money is Facebook going to spend on a public-relations campaign? Facebook is willing to spend money on all these things, but they refuse to pay their fair share and follow the law in Canada.”
Meta says the ads are an attempt to be upfront with Canadians, who will find they can no longer share or access Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram within weeks.
“We want to remain clear and transparent with Canadians about the upcoming changes to our services,” said Lisa Laventure, Meta’s spokeswoman in Canada.
“The Online News Act is based on the incorrect premise that social-media companies benefit unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, but the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on social media to expand their audiences and help their bottom line.
“Unfortunately, the only way we can reasonably comply with this legislation is to end news availability for people in Canada in the coming weeks.”
The tech giant began running several ads, including in French, on digital platforms, radio and websites in Canada this week. “To comply with federal legislation, viewing and sharing news content will no longer be possible on Facebook and Instagram in Canada,” the ads say, adding a critique of the legislation.
Cogeco, which owns a string of Quebec radio stations, said it is not carrying Meta’s advertisements.
“We have decided to refrain from using Meta’s advertising that takes a stand against the laws in Canada. However, we welcome Meta representatives to debate their points of view on our live broadcasts if they wish,” said Cogeco spokeswoman Diane Patenaude.
Véronique Mercier, vice-president of communications at Quebecor, said its media outlets would not carry the tech giant’s ads “in response to Meta’s action on C-18.” The Journal de Montreal has already blocked ads Meta tried to place.
Quebecor and Cogeco are among dozens of advertisers, including the Quebec government, Hydro-Québec, Loto-Québec, Bell Media, as well as the cities of Quebec and Montreal, to have suspended ads on Meta platforms in protest of the tech giant’s decision to block news.
Corus Entertainment, whose brands include the Food Network and Global News, said earlier this week that it was suspending advertising with Meta and is “encouraging our partners and clients to do the same.”
“We are disappointed in the recent actions taken by Meta, and encourage all foreign digital platforms to actively participate in meaningful discussions regarding Bill C-18 to create an open and accessible media landscape in Canada,” it said in a statement.
Earlier this month, B.C. Premier David Eby said Meta’s decision to block news from Canadians was “totally unacceptable” and the province was pulling all ads, except safety and health bulletins, from the tech giant’s Facebook and Instagram platforms. B.C. spent $1,352,000 last year on advertising with Meta, with another $138,000 so far this financial year.
Ottawa, which is also suspending advertising with Meta, spent $11.4-million on advertising on Facebook and Instagram last year.
Paul Deegan, president and chief executive of News Media Canada, which represents the news industry, said Meta should sit down with the government to discuss the Online News Act instead of running ads about it.
“Rather than promoting spin, they would be well advised to follow Google’s lead and do the painstaking work of ensuring the regulations are fair, balanced and predictable for all stakeholders,” he said.
Michael Geist, the University of Ottawa’s Canada research chair in internet law, said blocking the Meta ads over the Online News Act will “fuel distrust in the media.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
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