C-18 may not be cast in stone, after all..Despite calls from federal unions to hold on to a hard line against social media giants Meta and Google, a federal government release of its implementation plans suggest it is set to give in to the companies’ demands for exemption from paying for news content under the Online News Act, which was passed into law last month..On Monday the Canadian Heritage Department released its “next steps” document which it says encourages voluntary commercial agreements between platforms and news businesses “with minimal government intervention” while including safeguards to preserve the independence of the press..In its update, the government said development of the draft regulations is underway, after which they will be subject to a public comment period..Wording of the document suggests the government will move away from mandatory payments to a ‘contribution’ model based on a platform’s estimated Canadian revenues specific to each platform and their position in the market..Some observers have construed this to include ‘non-monetary’ contributions such as free ads and marketing that would be subject to an exemption from the CRTC..Former CRTC chairman and Western Standard editorial board member, Peter Menzies, tweeted it as a “big win for Google but unlikely to deliver much new cash for news organizations that will still suffer the consequences of Meta's withdrawal.”.“What a mess,” he added..Dr. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa who holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law, said it shows a willingness to “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..Geist doubted the changes would appease Meta enough to change its mind although Google might find a way to reaching agreement. Last week, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said the government is withdrawing $10-million worth of government advertising from Facebook and Instagram..Either way, C-18 “is already a disaster,” Geist said..“This quagmire is entirely the government’s own making. There were alternative options proposed that look much like this structure. Those were consistently rejected and those proposing the alternatives dismissed as shills."."Yet faced with emerging disaster that is Bill C-18, the government seems prepared to ditch the principles it said were critical in its news bill in the hope of a face-saving compromise,” he wrote..Canada’s largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is calling on the Trudeau government to stand strong in the face of bullying by tech giants Meta and Google, who do not want to pay their fair share to support local journalism in Canada..“Tech giants like Google and Meta have been making billions off of content they don’t create, while local outlets fold and thousands in the news industry lose their jobs. This has to stop, and C-18 is a crucial part of how we’re going to stop it,” CUPE National President Mark Hancock said in a statement on Monday..Similar legislation to Bill C-18 was implemented in Australia, where it has led to a resurgence in local journalism, and it’s hoped that it will have the same effect in Canada, it added..CUPE represents about 7,000 telecommunications and broadcasting workers, primarily in Quebec.
