The law, which aims to make internet giants pay for news, will come into effect in December. Facebook and Google must engage in voluntary negotiations with Canadian news publishers and pay a portion of their global revenues based on a specified calculation. Both companies have expressed concerns about the law’s feasibility for their businesses, with Meta already ceasing news sharing in Canada, and Google planning to block news from search results before the law takes effect. The draft proposals, subject to public consultation, anticipate raising CAD 172 million annually from Google and CAD 60 million from Facebook. If the companies fail to meet payment thresholds through voluntary agreements, mandatory negotiations overseen by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) may be required. The CRTC plans to establish a negotiation framework between news organizations and internet giants in the autumn, aiming to initiate mandatory bargaining by early 2025.
