Digital giants will have six months to negotiate private deals to compensate Canadian media outlets for reusing their news content or be forced to reach an agreement, if a new federal bill becomes law.
"Right now, the health and future of the news industry -- especially local news -- are at risk," Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said at a news conference Tuesday in Ottawa after introducing the bill."We want to make sure that the news media and journalists are fairly compensated for their work. Now more than ever, Canadians need reliable and credible information, especially in a time of greater mistrust and disinformation.
Google has previously criticized the Australian law, saying its arbitration model was unbalanced and unpredictable. If they cannot reach a deal within six months, the tech platforms will be forced into mediation with news outlets and if that doesn't work then binding arbitration. Rodriguez said arbitration would be "a last resort."
Marla Boltman, executive director of FRIENDS, an advocacy group that promotes public broadcasting, said the organization is still looking at the bill to make sure the necessary transparency is there, as well as ways to level the playing field. While the Canadian bill was modelled on the Australian system, Rodriguez said his bill was tailored to Canada's media landscape. He said he had been consulting with digital platforms and wanted to introduce a "transparent" process.
Meta said Tuesday links to news articles and previews make up only four per cent of what people see on their Facebook feed, and that the company has committed $18 million in the last seven years to programs and partnerships with media in Canada.