Thank you.
My first question is for Dr. Geist. As you know, there has been a complaint filed with the Competition Bureau. The complaint was put forward by News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the CBC. The complaint has to do with Bill C-18, and the fact that Meta has determined that it is no longer carrying news links. Well before the legislation was passed, Meta made it clear that this would be the decision it would make in response to the legislation.
However, these outlets that I've just listed—or unions—are now complaining that:
By refusing to negotiate with Canadian news organizations in good faith for the access of Canadian news content on Meta’s platforms, and by blocking the news content on the platforms, Meta is denying Canadian news organizations fair compensation for their content, leaving them with limited resources to compete effectively in the news publishing market.
This last phrase here, “leaving them with limited resources to compete in the news publishing market”, would say that Meta served as a vehicle or a platform by which these news sources were being shared. That vehicle is no longer provided, and these news outlets are saying that it's hurting them.
However, the whole premise of Bill C-18 was that the news outlets were actually providing the value, and that Meta needed to pay them. It seems they're making an admission that the actual benefit was found in Meta being the vehicle.
Do you care to comment on this further or expand on it?