The Trudeau Liberals continue to turn Canada into a dystopian state by centralizing power and controlling what information Canadians can access over the Internet..The passage of Bill C-18, known as the Online News Act, requires Big Tech giants Google and Meta to compensate Canadian news organizations for content appearing on their platforms..The government argues that Google and Meta control 80% of the $14 billion on-line advertising market in Canada and that they are to blame for mainstream media’s demise..The legislation forces the tech titans to negotiate compensation deals with news organizations. Otherwise the CRTC steps in. The government hopes to extort $329 million annually by taxing Facebook and Google revenues, at the rate of 4%..No other country in the world levies such a large tax..One can hear cash-starved media executives and lobby groups producing a crescendo of hip-hip hoorays, believing the industry will be saved and democracy protected from the misinformation cascading from every corner of the Internet..As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for..The Liberal government loves to control how Canadians live, think and speak. Earlier this year they passed Bill C-11 to tax Netflix and YouTube, racking in millions that are then handed over to Canadian producers to create shows that no one watches..Digital ID is making its way to Canada with some obvious benefits but personal information will be stored in centralized databases that can be accessed by the government at any time. Imagine what can happen when every citizen's personal information is available at the government's fingertips..Bill C-18 is an evolution of how the state wants to control the media landscape by making it addicted to its cash for survival..Facebook, owned by Meta, has walked away saying the law was flawed from the get-go. According to Facebook just 3% of its business comes from news. Why on earth would Facebook pay hundreds of millions of dollars to media companies when it does not need news to earn a profit? And if C-18 were replicated by governments around the world, Facebook payouts would balloon into billions, jeopardizing its existence..Google has stated: “We have informed the Government that when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada.”.The company has also said if it de-indexed Canadian news the potential impact would be light as users can still use apps and go directly to news websites. However, Google walking away could prove disastrous for small media companies as 90% of search is done via Google and upwards of 50% of their traffic is driven by Google. With Google blocking news links it could spell the end for a lot of media start-ups..Lawyer and privacy expert Brian Fraser says, "The media benefits more from having their links shared by these platforms than the platforms get by hosting those links. The media companies put those links there themselves.”.Facebook and Google are not swiping content from news publishers as the liberal government has led Canadians to believe. Links are placed on social media platforms to attract consumers to read articles to attract new subscribers..Justin Trudeau is at an all-time low in popularity, most Canadians want him to resign and even his caucus is turning on him. Trudeau’s signature move throughout his political career has been to look for a political fight that will galvanize his supporters and distract from the serious problems the country faces..Taking on Big Tech allows him to appear like David versus Goliath and the opportunity to be a hero..“These internet giants would rather cut out Canadians’ access to local news than pay their fair share is a real problem, and now they are resorting to bullying tactics to try and get their way. It’s not going to work,” the PM states..The Liberal government lives in a dream world, thinking it can collect hundreds of millions from successful global companies and redistribute huge sums to failing media organizations. If it does collect any revenues the big winners are, as expected, the $1.2 billion taxpayer-subsidized CBC and corporate giants BCE, Rogers and Quebecor who are all profitable and don't need corporate welfare..The Toronto Star is losing $1 million per week, and Postmedia is drowning in debt and will receive crumbs in comparison to the CBC, but like beggars, they will accept anything..Journalist Andrew Coyne predicted: “The money the government is giving us is not going to solve our problems. It is only going to ensure we put off confronting them. Before long we will be back for more,” he wrote..Lobby groups have a disproportionate amount of influence on the Liberal government, helping to direct government policy. There is no better example than the creation of C-18..University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist has reported that News Media Canada, a lobby group that represents Postmedia and Torstar, held 52 meetings with ministers, MPs and senior government officials as C-18 was being written..Geist wrote, “This represents an astonishing level of access and may help explain why the concerns of independent media and the broader public are missing from the bill.”.Media executives need to get past their glory days and face the reality that technology has unveiled a brave new world that no industry can escape..Where a monopoly once existed for classifieds, help wanted ads, births, deaths and other services that propelled profits, have now been replaced by Kijiji and social media platforms. During its first seven years of existence, Craigslist has saved American consumers upwards of $5 billion and Kijiji is having the same impact in Canada..Any solution to help the media industry does not lie with the heavy hand of the state, taking away freedom of choice and censoring information, but in leveraging the tax system to bolster and promote innovation..The Canadian Labour journalism tax credit can be expanded to include freelancers and incorporate more non-labour expenses..Working journalists could become eligible for additional tax credits to boost their income. Above all, the industry must embrace new business models and artificial intelligence..In business, great opportunities come by every so often, if one misses the train it might be too late. AI is that train that cannot be missed..Trudeau loves to connect the media's health with the state of democracy without considering a media industry under the thumb of big government is far worse than not having any media at all. How does a journalist hold a government accountable if they become a member of the Ministry of Truth?.After all, a journalist’s job is to put the pursuit of truth ahead of what Orwell believed that society would be forced to accept that two plus two equals 5. Sadly, in Canadian politics and cultural affairs, the truth has been so debased that two plus two may never equal four again..Toronto-based Francis Crescia is a freelance writer.
