Canadian Minister of Cultural Assets Steven Guilbeault.
Canada announced Thursday that it will require Facebook to pay for news content in the future, showing solidarity with Australia in a media dispute with the tech giant and vowing not to back down even if Facebook shuts down news in Canada.
Facebook has closed all Australian news content on its service because of proposed legislation in Australia that would require Facebook and Google to pay Australian publishers for citing news links.
Canadian Cultural Assets Minister Steven Guilbeault, who drafted a similar bill, condemned Facebook’s move, saying it would not stop Canada from moving forward with the legislation. The bill will be published in the next few months. He told reporters, “Canada is on the front lines of this battle… We are really one of the first countries in the world to do this.”
Last year, Canadian media industry players warned that a lack of government action could lead to market failure. They said the Australian approach would cost publishers C$620 million a year. They warned that a total of 700 of Canada’s 3,100 print journalists would be lost if no action was taken.
Guilbeault said Canada would adopt the Australian model by requiring Facebook and Google to enter into a payment agreement with news outlets, or by agreeing on prices through mandatory arbitration.
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