Media in the Digital Age

Issue

Online platforms are increasingly central to how Canadians communicate with each other and the world around them. If left unchecked, they can negatively impact our democratic institutions, social cohesion, and the economic contribution and diversity of our creative and news sectors.

Response

• Our Government is committed to putting in place a more equitable regulatory framework to govern online platforms in Canada. Our expectation is that they contribute to Canadian public policy objectives, such as:
  • supporting and promoting Canadian music and stories at home and abroad;
  • strengthening Canadian news and journalism and its diverse perspectives; and
  • providing a safe and inclusive online experience for all Canadians.
• We have and will continue to consult Canadians, experts, and key stakeholders on how to best tackle these complex realities to ensure proper oversight of online platforms while also upholding fundamental rights, including freedom of expression. The Government looks forward to working with all Parliamentarians to advance this important work.

Background

Broadcasting:

The Government reintroduced legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act on February 2, 2022, to ensure Canada’s laws reflect our evolving digital world. The Online Streaming Act, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts (Bill C-11) is substantially the same as the previous bill, except for targeted amendments to recalibrate the approach to social media and to correct drafting errors. The bill confirms that online broadcasting is covered under the Act and ensures that the CRTC has the proper tools to put in place a modern and flexible regulatory framework for broadcasting. These tools include the ability to make rules, gather information, and assign penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, the bill seeks to ensure greater diversity and inclusion by being more reflective of Canadian society.

News media remuneration:

In 2021, PCH initiated a phased engagement strategy. Stakeholder opinion was divided on two approaches. News Media Canada, which represents the interests of over 830 newspapers, generally supported an arbitration approach while some unions, smaller digital first news organizations, and equity seeking organizations were typically more favourable towards mandatory contributions. In phase 2, Canadian Heritage published a What We Heard Report on key policy considerations regarding fair revenue sharing. Phase 3 consists of roundtables with Indigenous publishers and is currently underway.

Upon reflection from this engagement process, the Government has recommitted to level the playing field between global platforms and Canadian outlets by introducing a legislation in 2022. The Government will require digital platforms that generate revenues from the publication of news content to share a portion of their revenues with Canadian news outlets. Although modelled on the Australian approach, this legislation will be a made-in-Canada regime.

Online harms:

In 2021, the Government consulted Canadians on a technical discussion paper, which outlines a proposal for regulating online platforms and combating certain types of harmful content. On February 3, 2022, the results were released in a report titled What We Heard: The Government’s proposed approach to address harmful content online. The report, which is based off 422 unique responses and 8,796 individual submissions, saw mixed reactions from respondents with many recognizing that this initiative is a priority that needs to be treated with caution. It identified key considerations and issues of concern among stakeholders which requires further examination and engagement with interested parties. The Government is committed to ensure that the legislation reflects these recommendations.