Evidence of meeting #12 for Canadian Heritage in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was facebook.
A video is available from Parliament.
Global Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook Canada, Facebook Inc.
Again, this is beyond my ability to say. I'm happy to take it back and see. I'm just not aware of what the rules are for that and the proper way to do that. Obviously, there are commercially sensitive things, so I'd have to take it back.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
I don't feel that we are going to see that figure anytime soon.
I would like to talk about Facebook's use of external content. You use it quite frequently. It makes discussions and sharing possible and it also helps the algorithms to micro-target advertisements to users. It lets you make a huge profit. But you don't pay for that content, especially journalistic content. I find it troubling, not to say indecent, that you use content produced by journalists in newsrooms at no cost, and that you make money from other people's work.
Don't you see any problem there?
Global Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook Canada, Facebook Inc.
Once again, let me be clear, sir. Facebook does not use the content of people working in publications. They use the free distribution of their content that Facebook provides.
NDP
Global Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook Canada, Facebook Inc.
No. That's how the Internet works: when a newspaper publishes an article on Facebook, it shares a link. Let me give you an example. My wife is from Quebec City and she reads La Presse and Le Devoir every day. If she wants to read an article, she will click on the link to go directly to the La Presse site or the Le Devoir site. The newspapers are making the money.
They will monetize the advertisement on their website.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Could we not consider a model like the one in Australia, where collective negotiations go on between those who produce the news and the social media that use them. MSN does it. You're not the only ones, there are a lot of others also. It would provide a degree of fairness and allow that work to be paid for.
January 29th, 2021 / 2:30 p.m.
Global Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook Canada, Facebook Inc.
I think that your suggestion of having publishers and platforms talk is a very good one.
I was personally a bit troubled that those conversations had not happened before we heard very loud and aggressive commentary about our stealing content, which was false.
I think that if we had had productive conversations earlier, and if we had actually talked to each other, we'd probably be in a much better situation than we are today.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Thank you very much, Mr. Chan.
Thank you, Mr. Boulerice.
That brings this to a conclusion.
I want to thank everybody involved.
I want to thank all those at Facebook. Ms. Curran, Mr. Chan and Mr. Dinsdale, we appreciate your time here today.
Colleagues, we are going to have to suspend to go in camera.
I'd like to remind everybody to check your emails because there is a different link and a different password to come back into this in camera meeting.
[Proceedings continue in camera]