Liberals say they have 'no intention' of repealing Online News and Streaming Acts. For now

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s office says the federal government has “no intention” of repealing either the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act. For now.  

“We are committed to supporting strong, independent newsrooms across the country,” Guilbeault’s director of communications Alisson Lévesque said in a statement first reported by Politico . “The federal government has no intention of repealing either of the Acts.”  

But hidden behind the definitive-sounding statement is a major caveat: trade talks with the U.S. government.  

Lévesque explained to National Post that though Guilbeault has no intention of repealing either law, the minister is not in charge of ongoing negotiations with the Trump administration.  

That means she can’t say if the Acts are being used as a bargaining chip with the U.S by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade.  

“For us, currently, the intention is not to repeal those acts… But I can’t pretend to know the end result of the negotiations with the United States” which are “very much” the main factor that will determine the future of both acts, she said.  

The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to questions about whether it had any intention of repealing either act.  

Both the Online News Act and the Online Streaming Act have been in the crosshairs of U.S. lawmakers for years because they directly impact U.S. web giants. Both laws were flagship digital policies by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government.  

The Online News Act c ompels social media giants to negotiate revenue-sharing deals with news publishers for the use of their content.  

The bill specifically impacted Meta and Google, though both have taken opposing routes to get exempt from the Act. Meta banned news content outright on its platforms when the bill became law, while Google signed a $100 million annual deal with Canadian publishers last year.  

But the act’s future was suddenly cast in doubt in early August when Carney suggested he was considering substituting or rescinding it to ensure local news is disseminated wider and faster amid Meta’s ban of Canadian news media links.  

Carney suggested rescinding or amending the law was “part of our thinking around” improving the reach of local media.  

“Ensuring that Canadians have access to local, unbiased, and timely life-saving information — especially during emergencies, as the Prime Minister noted when asked about this issue—is essential to keeping Canadians safe,” Lévesque said in her statement Thursday.  

In August, National Post revealed that Republicans on an influential House committee had written to top Trump administration officials asking that they pressure Canada to kibosh the controversial Online Streaming Act.  

In the letter, they argued that the law — which brought online streaming platforms under Canadian broadcasting laws and led to a ruling that they have to pay five per cent of their annual Canadian revenue into a Canadian content fund — was a “major threat” to the trade relationship.  

The Act is strongly supported by Canadian broadcasters, who argue it levels the playing field by compelling streaming giants to pay the same fees they’ve had to for decades under broadcasting laws.

Testifying at the House of Commons Heritage Committee on Wednesday afternoon, Guilbeault repeated his government’s pledge to boost funding for the CBC and Radio-Canada by $150 million by next year, but noted that he wanted to see some changes with that money.

“We’re certainly going to demand a certain number of things” from the public broadcaster, Guilbeault told MPs.

“You can expect to see something about investments in local news across the country”, adding that he expected “good news” on that front to come quickly.

National Post

cnardi@postmedia.com

• 'Major threat' to trade: U.S. Congress Republicans call for Canada to rescind Online Streaming Act
• Carney suggests he's considering rescinding Online News Act

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