OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — The Trudeau government seems to have caved to Google by amending the country’s internet censorship act to not force companies to pay for Canadian news content.
According to a July 10 update on the Online News Act, the Canadian Heritage Department seems to be moving from mandatory payments to a “contribution” model as both Facebook and Google have blocked content for Canadians rather than pay to publish Canadian news stories.
The updates also allow for “non-monetary offerings to news organizations, such as training or other products, be included in the (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) CRTC’s evaluation of exemption criteria.”
The document attests that it aims to establish agreements between platforms and news businesses “with minimal government intervention.”
Canada’s Senate passed the Online News Act, or Bill C-18, in June and it quickly became law. The House of Commons had passed Bill C-18 in December 2022.
This new internet censorship law mandates that online tech companies be forced to pay publishers for news content shared on their sites.
It is unclear why the government introduced the amendment that seems to give in to Google. It appears to contradict Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks last week when he condemned Google’s censorship as an “attack” on Canadians.
Similarly, the government announced that it will pull its advertisements from Facebook and Instagram after parent company Meta said it will block Canadians’ access to news on its sites due to Bill C-18.
Trudeau’s censorship law is being roundly condemned by both conservatives and liberals.
Dr. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, claims the new amendments “cast aside core principles” of the act.
“It would appear that the government has caved on the bill as it searches for a face-saving compromise,” he wrote on his blog.
Similarly, the Global Mail admitted, “There are better ways for a government to help journalism” than forcing internet companies to pay for Canadian content.
While the act was initially feared to allow the government to censor what Canadians view online, it may backfire if large tech companies refuse to pay to publish content.
Bill C-18 gives the CRTC the power to determine which news content can be viewed.
According to the bill, to be considered “eligible” for sharing, a news outlet must be “a qualified Canadian journalism organization” and produce “news content of public interest that is primarily focused on matters of general interest and reports of current events.”
It is up to the government to decide which news outlets are to be considered “eligible.”