The National Post and many other papers owned by Postmedia published an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday, calling for action against the "predatory monopoly practices of Google and Facebook against Canadian news media."
The letter says that he and Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault have talked a big game in the fight against tech giants, but their action has been minimal.
The letter highlights how Google and Facebook use "their control of the internet and their highly sophisticated algorithms to divert 80 per cent of all online advertising revenue in Canada. And they are distributing the work of professional journalists across the country without compensation."
The issue has been on the forefront for nearly a decade, with publications such as Forbes having penning articles such as "How tech firms steal all the ad dollars from news media" back in 2012, following a study by the Pew Research Centre's Project for Excellence in Journalism.
"Google and Facebook are using their monopoly powers in the same way throughout the world... Australia's parliament — with support from all parties — has enacted comprehensive new legislation requiring the two web giants to negotiate collectively with that country's media. And they've backed up these new rules with enforcement teeth," they write.
That bill, the News Media Bargaining Code, was passed by Australia's House of Representatives in February, and led to a temporary blockage of all news content from Facebook in Australia—a decision that was reversed after "robust negotiations with the government," reports BBC News.
The open letter continues: "Let's be clear: Canadian news media are not looking for new funding or new taxes, or user fees. We're not calling for — and certainly don't want — restrictions or regulations affecting freedom of speech.
"In fact, the health of our democracy depends on a vibrant and healthy media.
"To put it bluntly, that means that you, Prime Minister, need to keep your word: to introduce legislation to break the Google/Facebook stranglehold on news before the summer recess. It’s about political will — and promised action.
"Your government's promise.
"The fate of news media in Canada depends on it. In no small way, so too does the fate of our democracy."
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