Google removes news links in Canada due to bill C-18

Google has announced it will remove links to Canadian news on its platforms in Canada due to the recently passed Bill C-18, which forces tech giants to compensate media outlets for content they share online.

“Bill C-18 has become law and remains unworkable. The government has given us no reason to believe that the regulatory process will resolve structural issues with legislation,” Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said in a June 29 statement. Edition.

Walker said that as a result, Google will “remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products and will no longer be able to use Google News Showcase in Canada” when the new law goes into effect in December.

The Online News Act, passed on June 21, requires online platforms and digital news brokers such as Google and Meta to make deals with Canadian media outlets and pay them for all news and information linked on their platforms.

The legislation would also give Canada’s Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) the power to require media organizations to follow a “code of ethics” in order to qualify for negotiations to share news with digital platforms.

Walker said that while the company didn’t make the decision to remove links to Canadian news “lightly,” a provision in Bill C-18 that puts a price on links would create “uncertainty” for Google’s products and expose the company to “unlimited financial liability”. simply to facilitate Canadians’ access to news from Canadian publishers.”

Google said it supports Canadian journalism through its programs and partnerships, such as the Google News Showcase program, which includes agreements with more than 150 news publications in Canada. The company also said it has “linked more than 3.6 billion times” to Canadian news publications for free, generating $250 million in referral traffic annually.

“Since the government introduced C-18 last year, we’ve shared our experiences in other countries and made it clear that unworkable legislation could lead to changes that affect the availability of news about Google’s products in Canada,” said Walker. “We have been advocating for reasonable and balanced legislative changes for over a year. None of our suggestions for changes to C-18 were accepted.”

Meta also confirmed on June 22 that Canadians would lose access to news on their social media sites because of Bill C-18.

Kevin Chan, Meta’s Global Policy Director, previously told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on May 8 that the legislation put the company in an “unfavorable situation” because it would have to “operate in a flawed and unfair regulatory environment” , or discontinue availability of news content in Canada.

On June 27, Meta’s head of public policy in Canada, Rachel Curran, said the bill did not allow for negotiations outside the scope of the legislation and, as a result, had ended negotiations with Ottawa.

“We wish we weren’t here, but we are here, and there’s really nothing right now that’s going to change that trajectory,” she added.

Heritage Minister ‘Hopeful’

Google previously said it would also nearly remove Canadians’ access to news on its platforms, but said an “11-hour” meeting with Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez led it to delay the decision.

On June 27, Rodriguez said he was “hopeful” that Google and Meta wouldn’t follow through on their threats to block access to Canadian news on their platforms. He added that the federal government would provide assistance to newsrooms if needed, but did not elaborate.

Rodriguez added that he remained unmoved in his view that Google will be subject to the law because of its market dominance in online advertising. He said his conversation with Google was tough but constructive and they were seeking “clarity” on the legislation.

At a press conference on May 9, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Meta’s argument over Bill C-18 was “dangerous” to Canada’s democracy and economy.

“Apart from the jobs and communities supported by local journalism, by professional journalists, it is an essential service for understanding what is happening in the world around us,” he said.

On June 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government was still in talks with Google about their threats to block Canadians from sharing news.

“Talks with Google are ongoing. It is important that we find a way to ensure that Canadians can continue to access content in a variety of ways,” he said.

He added that Meta had decided to “walk away rather than participate constructively” in Bill C-18, but said the federal government is “very much there to continue having conversations with them.”

Conservative leader Pierre Poilièvre said in a June 29 press release that Bill C-18 had led to a “media blackout”.

“Bill C-18 subsidizes major corporate media outlets while pushing aside new, innovative and grassroots journalism,” Poilièvre said. “If Meta and Google don’t do it, the liberals have said they’re just going to put more money into the already massive big media subsidies.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.