Reports

The Government of Canada’s Bill C-18, the Online News Act, was introduced to correct a perceived imbalance between Canadian news organizations and large “Digital News Intermediaries” (DNIs) such as Google and Meta. Framed as a mechanism to secure fair compensation for news outlets, the Act instead triggered a series of unintended — though predicted by experts — negative consequences. By effectively imposing a “link tax,” the legislation disrupted the basic architecture of the internet, prompting Meta to block Canadian news content and leading the federal government to strike a last-minute $100 million deal with Google. Beyond its economic fallout with millions in lost revenue, in particular by small independent outlets, Bill C-18 grants the CRTC sweeping new authority to regulate digital platforms and oversee financial arrangements between private actors, thereby increasing government leverage over the news marketplace itself. The result is not a stronger, more independent press, but covering deeper financial issues, a stifling of innovative business models, expanded government control over online expression, less access to information, and further erosion of public trust in media.