Senator Dasko: In September, the polling firm Leger surveyed Canadians about aspects of Bill C-18 and found that 59% of Canadians want Meta to lift its ban on Canadian news on its platforms. More specifically with respect to Meta, is the government still attempting to engage with Meta? Has the government engaged with Meta regarding that company’s decision to block Canadians from viewing or sharing news content? Or has the government basically given up on Meta?

Senator Gold: Thank you. They have not given up. As the polls suggest, Canadians expect the tech giants to pay their fair share and to support news and information sharing in Canada on their platforms. Meta’s decisions are unfortunate, reckless and irresponsible, particularly affecting Canadians who will have come to rely upon their news through those platforms. I’m assured the government remains open to discussions and has sought to work collaboratively with Meta during this period.

[Translation]

Hon. Donna Dasko: Senator Gold, Bill C-18, the Online News Act, received Royal Assent on June 22 of this year, and regulations were gazetted on September 2, with consultations closed on October 2.

Canadians are no longer able to view or share news content on Facebook and Instagram, including news articles and audiovisual content that parent company Meta has blocked. Search engine Google has threatened to do the same, and a report yesterday in The Globe and Mail suggests this may happen soon.

My first questions concern Google. Has the government engaged with Google, including at the ministerial or departmental level, regarding Bill C-18? Did Google participate in the consultations? Most importantly, is the government contemplating changes to the legislation or other responses to deal with these latest developments?