Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says the federal government has suspended all of its advertising on Facebook and Instagram as it continues its battle over the Online News Act with tech giants Google and Meta.
“Facebook has decided to be unreasonable, irresponsible and started blocking news,” Rodriguez said Wednesday at a joint press conference with the NDP’s Peter Julian and the Bloc Québécois’ Martin Champoux. “This is why today we are announcing the Government of Canada will be suspending advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
“Google, on the other hand, has been open to finding a solution.”
The federal government’s Online News Act, C-18, became law on June 22. It compels companies like Google and Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, to pay money to news organizations each time a user accesses a web story through a link on one of their products.
The bill has been pitched as a way to keep news outlets solvent after advertising moved en masse to digital platforms, virtually wiping out a major revenue stream for journalism.
“Meta’s decision to block news content in Canada is disappointing. It is disappointing and irresponsible,” Champoux said Wednesday. “Google’s threat to do the same is concerning.”
Champoux said that, instead of viewing C-18 as an obstacle to profit, tech giants should see it as an opportunity to show that they care about democracy by backing a free, objective press and combating misinformation.
“The companies that do business here must respect our values and comply with our laws,” Champoux said. “C-18 is a necessary tool.”
Bloc MP Martin Champoux says laws adopted by Parliament “must be respected.” (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Julian said that as local media outlets continue to close, and as larger ones lay off staff, the Online News Act is needed to preserve democracy in Canada.
“We are telling Meta and Google that they must respect Canadian laws and Canadian democracy,” he said.
“Today we have parliamentarians representing two-thirds of the House of Commons saying very clearly that the web giants … have profited enormously from Canada and now its time to give back some of those funds.”
Google remains in talks: Rodriguez
Rodriguez said he is still having conversations with Google and is confident that a deal can be struck.
“What’s clear on our side is that solutions can only come around the table,” he said. “It’s also clear that Google’s concerns can be met by what we plan to do in the regulations.
“Meta, on the other side, is not talking to us unless they called this morning … so they took a different approach. I don’t think it’s good for anyone. Not for them, not the government, not for Canadians, for anyone.”
A Meta spokesperson said in a media statement Wednesday that the Online News Act is “flawed legislation” that ignores the realities of how the company’s platforms work.
“Unfortunately, the regulatory process is not equipped to make changes to the fundamental features of the legislation that have always been problematic, and so we plan to comply by ending news availability in Canada in the coming weeks,” she said.
Rodriguez said the Online News Act is only asking companies to pay a “fair” price for links to content.
Heritage minister calls on Meta, Google to ‘stay at the table’ in C-18 talks
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says the government will no longer be publishing ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Telecom and media firm Quebecor said Wednesday it will pull its ads from Facebook and Instagram in response to Meta’s decision to block access to news in Canada on its social media platforms.
News Media Canada, which advocates for the print and digital media industry in Canada, welcomed the decision by the federal government and Quebecor and told CBC News.
“We encourage all municipal and provincial governments across Canada to do the same,” the group said in a statement.
“Large corporate advertisers, like the banks, telcos, retailers and auto companies, should make a similarly strong statement to Meta. It’s time for those who value a free press to stand up and be counted.”
Liberal, NDP parties will continue Meta ads
While the federal government is suspending ads on Meta platforms, the Liberal Party of Canada and the NDP have confirmed they will continue to advertise there.
The Bloc told CBC News that it stopped advertising on Meta platforms on June 29.
On Wednesday, Quebec Premier François Legault announced on Twitter that the Quebec government also would stop advertising with Meta.
“No business is above the law,” Legault said.
Speaking in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. later in the day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he expects more governments and companies will stop advertising with Meta in the coming days.
“We are not backing down on this. This goes to the core of a free and informed society that is able to make decisions in a democracy,” he said.
“Canada and allies around the world are going to stand strong and demonstrate that we will not flinch in our defence of fundamental, foundational principles of democracy like a free, quality, informed press.”
During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the federal government spent $140.76 million on advertising. Social media companies such Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok LinkedIn and Pinterest got $21,205,519 of that. Meta’s share was $11,423,728.
Over the same time period, the federal government spent $8,757,234 advertising through Google and another $1,147,062 on Bing ads.
C-18 amounts to censorship: Conservatives
The Conservatives voted against C-18 and party leader Pierre Poilievre vowed in a tweet to “repeal [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s censorship laws.”
Conservative Heritage critic Rachael Thomas issued a statement Wednesday calling C-18 a censorship law that limits what Canadians can see online.
“Common sense Conservatives submitted changes to fix flaws in Bill C-18 but the NDP-Liberal coalition blocked them. A Poilievre government will replace Bill C-18 and bring home freedom and choice for Canadians,” she said.
Google and Meta also did not offer comment for this story. In the past, both companies have called the legislation unworkable.
Google has compared the exposure it provides through its search engine to a free newsstand service for media outlets. Meta has said it sees no room for negotiation with the government, given the way the law was written.
Google has said it looks forward to taking part in the regulatory process.
As a news organization, the CBC could see a financial benefit under C-18, which requires the CBC to provide an annual report on any compensation for news it receives from digital operators.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
