This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.
Summary
This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.
This enactment regulates digital news intermediaries to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace and contribute to its sustainability. It establishes a framework through which digital news intermediary operators and news businesses may enter into agreements respecting news content that is made available by digital news intermediaries. The framework takes into account principles of freedom of expression and journalistic independence. The enactment, among other things, (a) applies in respect of a digital news intermediary if, having regard to specific factors, there is a significant bargaining power imbalance between its operator and news businesses; (b) authorizes the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting those factors; (c) specifies that the enactment does not apply in respect of “broadcasting” by digital news intermediaries that are “broadcasting undertakings” as those terms are defined in the Broadcasting Act or in respect of telecommunications service providers as defined in the Telecommunications Act ; (d) requires the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (the “Commission”) to maintain a list of digital news intermediaries in respect of which the enactment applies; (e) requires the Commission to exempt a digital news intermediary from the application of the enactment if its operator has entered into agreements with news businesses and the Commission is of the opinion that the agreements satisfy certain criteria; (f) authorizes the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting how the Commission is to interpret those criteria and setting out additional conditions with respect to the eligibility of a digital news intermediary for an exemption; (g) establishes a bargaining process in respect of matters related to the making available of certain news content by digital news intermediaries; (h) establishes eligibility criteria and a designation process for news businesses that wish to participate in the bargaining process; (i) requires the Commission to establish a code of conduct respecting bargaining in relation to news content; (j) prohibits digital news intermediary operators from acting, in the course of making available certain news content, in ways that discriminate unjustly, that give undue or unreasonable preference or that subject certain news businesses to an undue or unreasonable disadvantage; (k) allows certain news businesses to make complaints to the Commission in relation to that prohibition; (l) authorizes the Commission to require the provision of information for the purpose of exercising its powers and performing its duties and functions under the enactment; (m) requires the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to provide the Commission with an annual report if the Corporation is a party to an agreement with an operator; (n) establishes a framework respecting the provision of information to the responsible Minister, the Chief Statistician of Canada and the Commissioner of Competition, while permitting an individual or entity to designate certain information that they submit to the Commission as confidential; (o) authorizes the Commission to impose, for contraventions of the enactment, administrative monetary penalties on certain individuals and entities and conditions on the participation of news businesses in the bargaining process; (p) establishes a mechanism for the recovery, from digital news intermediary operators, of certain costs related to the administration of the enactment; and (q) requires the Commission to have an independent auditor prepare a report annually in respect of the impact of the enactment on the Canadian digital news marketplace. Finally, the enactment makes related amendments to other Acts.
Elsewhere
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-18s:
June 22, 2023Passed Motion respecting Senate amendments to Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada
June 21, 2023Failed Motion respecting Senate amendments to Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada (reasoned amendment)
June 20, 2023Passed Time allocation for Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada
Dec. 14, 2022Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada
May 31, 2022Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada
May 31, 2022Failed Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada (amendment)
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-18, the Online News Act, aims to support Canadian news media by establishing a framework for digital platforms like Google and Facebook to negotiate agreements with news businesses for fair compensation for their content. The bill proposes that platforms either enter voluntary agreements that meet specific criteria, such as supporting local news and journalistic independence, or be subject to mandated negotiation and arbitration. Concerns have been raised that the bill could disproportionately benefit large media outlets like the CBC, lead to government influence over news content, and harm smaller, independent news organizations.
Liberal
Protecting independent press: The Liberal party views Bill C-18 as crucial for safeguarding a free and independent press in Canada. They believe it's essential for ensuring Canadians have access to fact-based information and for protecting the strength of Canadian democracy in the digital age.
Fair compensation for media: The Liberal party aims to address the crisis in the news sector by ensuring fair compensation for Canadian media from digital platforms that benefit from their content. They highlight the significant loss of journalism jobs and advertising revenue by traditional media outlets, while tech giants dominate the online advertising market.
Holding tech giants accountable: Bill C-18 will establish a fairer news ecosystem by holding tech giants accountable and providing two options: enter into fair agreements with news media, or be forced to negotiate based on specific criteria to support a free and independent press.
Modernizing media systems: Alongside Bill C-11, the Liberal party believes Bill C-18 is vital for modernizing Canadian systems to adapt to the changing landscape of Internet accessibility and the challenges of fake news, ensuring Canadians have access to factual information from mainstream media.
Conservative
Government overreach: Bill C-18 is government overreach that regulates digital platforms and acts as an intermediary in Canada's new media ecosystem, it treats sharing a link like theft, something that has already been ruled out by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Hurts small media: The bill rejects innovation in favor of a one-size-fits-all approach that enriches large organizations while hurting small media markets, and it massively expands the mandate of the CRTC, which is already struggling to fulfill its existing responsibilities.
Benefits CBC: The bill would primarily benefit the CBC, which already receives significant government funding, and there are concerns about the fairness of the arbitration process and the potential for government influence over news companies.
Supports creator economy: The government is making it difficult for Canadians to access quality information and that the bill could squeeze out local content creators, and that an open and competitive market and permissionless innovation are best, while the bill is a permission and is the swiftest killer of innovation.
NDP
Supports Bill C-18: The NDP sees Bill C-18 as a significant step forward in compelling big tech companies to support local journalism across Canada and pushed the government to introduce the legislation based on the Australian model.
Bill C-18 improvements: The NDP worked to improve the bill at the committee stage by adding provisions for transparency, support for local community press and journalism, non-profit journalism, and allowing indigenous news outlets to have a role. Sixteen NDP amendments were adopted and the NDP is proud to support the improved Bill C-18.
Big tech's negative influence: The NDP views the decline in local news and the rise in online hate as interconnected issues, because big tech has not taken any sort of responsibility for the rise in hate, misogyny, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia.
Bloc
Supports C-18: The Bloc Québécois supports Bill C-18 to address the appropriation of news content by web giants like Facebook and Google without compensation to media outlets and journalists. They see the bill as a means to level the playing field and protect regional media from the dominance of these digital platforms.
Protect journalism: The Bloc Québécois secured an amendment to Bill C-18 to protect journalism by establishing quality criteria. The amendment requires that news organizations adhere to basic journalistic principles like independence, accuracy, and fairness to ensure that compensation goes to genuine news reporting rather than opinion pieces.
Not a perfect bill: While supporting Bill C-18, the Bloc recognizes that it is not a complete solution and that challenges remain for news organizations, especially regional media. They emphasize the need for continued government support and adjustments to existing programs, as well as monitoring the impact on specialty magazines.
Rebalancing the market: The Bloc dismisses claims that Bill C-18 will control online content and argues that it aims to rebalance a market that disadvantages local news businesses. The bill seeks to ensure that media outlets are compensated for their content shared on digital platforms, addressing the loss of advertising revenue to web giants.
Madam Speaker, as I have said, Bill C-18 would, in our view, threaten the independence of local media. It would not allow single-journalist outfits, like those I mentioned in my riding, to qualify. Therefore, we cannot support it.
Kevin LamoureuxLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
I suspect that if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to allow us to extend Government Orders to deal with this issue, if the debate has collapsed, so that we can have a vote to possibly pass it with a division.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the division stands deferred until Wednesday, December 14, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
It being 5:33 p.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of Private Members' Business as listed on today's Order Paper.
Pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at third reading stage of Bill C-18.
Links & Sharing
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)