News Media Canada welcomed the final regulations associated with the Online News Act (C-18).
“Two years ago, in an attempt to thwart the need for legislation, large online platforms were picking winners and losers among Canada’s news publishers,” said Dave Adsett, chair of News Media Canada and publisher of the Wellington Advertiser. “Today, we have a solid regulatory framework with teeth that ensures Google compensates news publishers — large and small — for the exceptional reporting our journalists do, without fear or favour, on behalf of their fellow Canadians.”
“We applaud the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, for her active engagement with stakeholders and her tremendous leadership in delivering a durable, world-leading framework that is balanced and predictable for both news publishers and platforms,” said Paul Deegan, president and chief executive officer of News Media Canada. “We thank Google for their constructive approach, and we look forward to a positive, mutually beneficial commercial relationship with them for many years to come, and we call on Meta to follow Google’s socially responsible lead.”
“With the Online News Act and recent changes to the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit, Canadians have shown the world how smart policy can support journalism,” added Mr. Deegan. “We now call on Corporate Canada to support fact-based, fact-checked Canadian journalism by advertising directly with our trusted news titles.”
As reported by the Globe and Mail, Ottawa is ensuring that almost two-thirds of the funds go to written media, including newspapers.
