Google contacts each MP
The Canadian Press – June 1, 2022 / 15:09 | History: 370648
Photo: The Canadian Press
Google’s local office is seen on November 1, 2018 in Montreal. Google is taking the extraordinary step of writing to all MPs and senators expressing fears that the online news bill is approaching Parliament without proper debate. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Ryan Remiorz
Google is taking the extraordinary step of writing to all MPs and senators expressing fears that the online news bill is going through Parliament without proper debate.
In its letter, Google warns that the bill needs more scrutiny because of its far-reaching implications, including how the search engine ranks content and elevates information from trusted sources such as the government.
Bill C-18, as it is known in Parliament, is designed to support the Canadian news industry and would make online platforms such as Google and Meta compensate media organizations for reusing their journalism.
The Conservative leader of the House, John Brassard, accused the government of stifling the scrutiny of MPs by speeding up the bill through the Commons in committee with just a few hours of debate.
The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its letter, Google says it agrees with the bill’s goal of supporting journalism, including financially and through regulations, but says there are flaws in the proposed legislation that could force Google to support foreign state media.