You're right, Mr. Ste-Marie, the service we provide is essential. Newspapers are a cornerstone of Canadian democracy. Without newspapers, there can be no democracy, no Parliament, no elected representatives, no elections. That is unmistakable—we agree.
The federal government could do two things right away.
First, it could stop outright placing ads on Facebook, Twitter and Google. Millions of dollars in advertising spending are flowing out of Canada to the United States; meanwhile, hardly any advertising dollars are going to Canadian newspapers. The consequences are disastrous. For nearly four or five years, we have been urging the Canadian government to advertise in Canadian newspapers to help uphold democracy. It's a matter not just of newspapers' survival, but also of Canadian democracy. That's the first thing the federal government should do immediately.
Second, it should pass stringent laws to counter the impact of Facebook and Google in Canada. On that count, we are waiting for the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Mr. Guilbeault, to bring forward his bill, which we hope will impose strict conditions and force Facebook and Google to stop undermining Canadian media. We hope the bill will be introduced as soon as possible and receive unanimous support from the members of every party currently represented in the House of Commons, whether it be the Conservative Party, the NDP, the Bloc Québécois or the Liberal Party. Obviously, the bill is desperately needed.
We are calling on the government to model the bill on the Australian law. We would actually like the government to more or less replicate what Australia has done. If the government does impose restrictions on the web giants, it must be ready for them to fight back, because they will not sit idly by—to be sure. They want Canada's advertising dollars and they want to undermine Canadian media. That is their goal.
In a nutshell, Canada should follow in Australia's footsteps. I urge Mr. Guilbeault and the members of every party to look to Australia's law, which will be very effective against Facebook and Google in that country. We hope to see the same in Canada.