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.
Walker said as a result Google will be “removing links to Canadian news from our Search, News, and Discover products and will no longer be able to operate Google News Showcase in Canada,” when the new law comes into effect in December.
The legislation would also give the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) the power to require media organizations to follow a “code of ethics” in order to be eligible for news-sharing negotiations with digital platforms.
Walker said while the company did not take 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 “uncapped financial liability simply for facilitating 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 that includes agreements with over 150 news publications in Canada. The company also said it has linked to Canadian news publications “over 3.6 billion times” without charge, creating referral traffic worth $250 million annually.
“Ever since the Government introduced C-18 last year, we have shared our experiences in other countries and been clear that unworkable legislation could lead to changes that affect the availability of news on Google’s products in Canada,” Walker said. “We advocated for reasonable and balanced amendments to the legislation 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 its social media sites due to 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 “unfavourable situation,” as it would have to either “operate in a flawed and unfair regulatory environment,” or end the 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 framework of the legislation and as a result, it had ended negotiations with Ottawa.
Heritage Minister ‘Hopeful’
Google previously said it came close to also removing Canadians’ access to news on its platforms but said an “11th-hour” meeting with Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez resulted in it delaying the decision.Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in a June 29 press release that Bill C-18 had resulted in a “media blackout.”
“Bill C-18 subsidizes big corporate media outlets while shoving new, innovative, and grassroots journalism by the wayside,” Poilievre said. “If Meta and Google won’t do it, the Liberals have said they’re just going to tack on more money to the big media outlets’ already massive subsidies.”