The Online News Act (C-18) moved to Second Reading in the Senate earlier this week. Senator Peter Harder, a member of the Senate’s Transport and Communications Committee, gave a thorough address on the bill and its importance to support.
“What Bill C-18 does is level the playing field so that news businesses may receive a fair share of the benefit when their works are made available on dominant digital platforms. It ensures that Canadian journalists can continue to create quality content to be discussed in the digital public square,” Harder said during his remarks.
“By ensuring the continued creation of quality Canadian news content online, Bill C-18 fundamentally supports the sustainability of the news sector and, in so doing, the freedom of expression of all Canadians.”
Harder stated that the bill is a priority for the current government and hopes its passage will be “expeditious”. The bill will now move to committee for review.
You can read the full text of Senator Harder’s remarks here. Please click on ‘Online News Bill’ under ‘ORDERS OF THE DAY’. You can also listen to his speech in the Senate in the video embedded below.
