Canada’s Bill C-18 has passed into law, requiring compensation deals to be struck between tech companies and news organizations if they want to host links to Canadian news content. This is a framework that Google and Meta have rejected, both stating they will instead be blocking Canadian news content.
But what does this bill, and the responses from the tech giants, actually mean for Canadians?
In brief, C-18 means Canadians may no longer see local news in the places they normally check online, such as social media and Google, and will have to seek it out elsewhere to stay informed of the blocked content.
What is Bill C-18?
Bill C-18, or the Online News Act, lays out a framework that would require digital giants such as Google and Meta to develop deals with Canadian news sites for previewing and sharing their online news content.
“The Bill introduces a new bargaining framework intended to support news businesses to secure fair compensation when their news content is made available by dominant digital news intermediaries and generates economic gain,” an explanatory note from the government says. “It seeks to support balanced negotiations between the businesses that operate dominant digital news intermediaries and the businesses responsible for the news outlets that produce this news content.”
Who does Bill C-18 affect?
The bill requires tech companies to compensate Canadian news organizations when their content appears on their platforms. The federal government says the bill is to help the Canadian news industry, which has seen falling subscriptions and ad revenue overtime as those profits shift to Google and Facebook.
According to an Angus Reid report released earlier this month, 85 per cent of Canadians do not pay for any online news subscription, and Canadians under the age of 64 usually check social media sites such as Facebook and Reddit first to get their news.
According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, which provides economic and financial analysis to the government as an independent body, the bill would shift around $329 million to the Canadian news industry.
When does Bill C-18 go into effect?
The bill became law in June 2023. The effective date is unclear; however, it is expected to come into force in the next six months.
How have tech giants reacted?
Both Google and Meta – the company behind Facebook and Instagram – have stated that they will be removing links to Canadian news from their platforms in response to the law, before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Google called the bill a “link tax,” saying that it “breaks the way the web and search engines have worked for more than 30 years.”
Where will news be blocked?
Links to Canadian news platforms will not be shared on Google, Facebook or Instagram when Bill C-18 comes into effect.
According to a statement from Google on June 29, links to Canadian news will be removed from its Search, News and Discover products.
The company noted that this won’t apply to its SOS Alerts, which connect Google users to the most relevant safety information in the event of a crisis such as a forest fire, flood or earthquake.
Meta stated in an update posted on June 22 that news availability would be ending on its sites for all users in Canada “prior to the Online News Act (Bill C-18) taking effect”.
Which news organizations are impacted?
While it’s common sense that publications that make the delivery of news their main focus will be affected by Google and Meta blocking their content, the limits of what counts as a news website in the eyes of this new law isn’t completely clear yet.
Google notes that it will not be hosting links to content that has been defined as an “eligible news business” by Bill C-18.
The legislation states that news businesses are considered eligible as long as they fall under certain requirements, including:
producing news content of “public interest”;
employing two or more journalists in Canada;
operating in Canada; and
following the code of ethics of a recognized journalistic association or its own code of ethics that aligns with journalistic integrity.
An eligible news business also must produce news content “that is not primarily focused on a particular topic such as industry-specific news, sports, recreation, arts, lifestyle or entertainment,” according to Bill C-18, suggesting that lifestyle magazines and similar publications may not be affected by Google and Meta blocks.
Does this mean Canadians won’t have access to news websites at all?
Many people head straight to Google when they want to find out what is going on in the world, but a Google search isn’t the most direct way to find your news.
Canadians will still be able to access Canadian news sources by navigating directly to their websites.
Google itself recommends Canadians “visit their preferred news outlets’ websites directly – or download their app – and sign up for newsletters or subscriptions so that they can stay up to date with the latest news directly from the sources that matter most to them.”
Bookmarking your most frequently visited news websites now will allow you to navigate to them quickly even if their links are not being shared when you search a topic on Google.
Canadians will also still be able to see news from international news sources through Google.
How do I know if my news is being blocked?
In order to tell if news links are being blocked for you, simply go to the Google search engine and type in search terms connected to Canada, such as “Ottawa” or “Trudeau” and then click on Google’s “News” tab. If mostly news sources from the U.S. pop up, you’re likely among the users who are not being shown links to Canadian news outlets.
What are supporters saying about Bill C-18?
Supporters of the Liberal government’s bill say that it is a way to keep tech giants in check and cut into their digital dominance, and that journalists should be compensated for their work being used to help tech giants bring in more eyes and thus more ad revenue.
“Around 500 newsrooms closed their doors across the country… and they will continue closing their doors,” Rodriguez said. “The status quo is not working because the money is going to the tech giants.”
Last year, Meta made more than US$23 billion in profit while Alphabet, Google’s parent company, made close to US$60 billion.
A recent survey from the Angus Reid Institute suggested that 82 per cent of Canadians agree “too few tech companies have too much power over the internet.”
However, 63 per cent are worried about losing access to Canadian news on Facebook and Google.
What is the criticism of Bill C-18?
Some critics are concerned that Google and Meta blocking news links from Canadian news sources will lead to a drop in media literacy.
Tech and cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak told CTV News Channel in late June that the removal of news from Google and Meta’s platforms could lead users to rely on unverified stories, making “deciphering fact from fiction” that much more difficult.
“This is a serious problem for news organizations and also members of the public,” he said, adding that news outlets should do more to promote their own platforms.
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.
