Mark Carney Should Repeal the Online News Act
In 2023, Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, was enacted by the Trudeau government to force tech companies like Meta and Google to pay news outlets for content shared on their platforms.
A year later, Canadian news outlets saw an 85% drop in engagement and 11 million fewer news views per day on Facebook and Instagram, according to the Media Ecosystem Observatory.
I personally experienced the detrimental impacts of Bill C-18.
Meta restricted my alternative news site, IV Times, by blocking my content for people in Canada.
This ended up severely limiting my reach and ability to share information with my audience.
What's clear is that this legislation has backfired tremendously and is crippling local and independent voices.
Recently, Prime Minister Carney suggested that Canadians turn to the CBC for local news when asked about repealing the Act.
But when former CBC News hosts like Travis Dhanraj speak out about a lack of diversity of opinion at the CBC, it raises serious questions about the outlet's ability to provide truly unbiased and multifaceted coverage.
Carney also noted that looking for an alternative to the act or repealing it is "part of our thinking."
I suggest that Carney think very hard about Bill C-18.
If Carney truly wants a Canada where free expression thrives and every voice contributes to our national discourse he should repeal the Online News Act.