Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez honours election promise

Minister introducing legislation today to level the playing field between news publishers and Big Tech

Heritage Minister Rodriguez will table Bill C-18 (an Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada) in the Commons today.  The bill permits news publishers to negotiate collectively with digital platforms and services, backed up by the teeth of baseball-style final offer arbitration.
 
News Media Canada CEO Paul Deegan says that while the news media applauds the introduction of this legislation, NMC will continue to work diligently behind the scenes to help ensure that the legislation is passed by June.  NMC also continues to lobby the Heritage ministry on behalf of community newspaper titles across Canada.
 
We’ve posted the news release from News Media Canada in the Press Releases section of KUTD, plus linked below an Op-Ed by Paul Deegan, NMC Chair Jamie Irving and Maria Saras-Voutsinas (Executive Director of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada) and a copy of Bill C-18.