News Media Canada Calls on New Heritage Minister to Move Swiftly to Level the Playing Field Between Digital Platforms and News Publishers

TORONTO, ON –/COMMUNITYWIRE/– News Media Canada, representing hundreds of trusted print and digital titles in every province and territory, welcomed the appointment of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez as Minister of Canadian Heritage.

“The economic realities and existential threat that publishers — both large and small — are facing are getting more dire by the day,” said Jamie Irving, chair of News Media Canada. “Google and Facebook’s take of those diminishing online ad revenues keeps on growing and now stands at roughly 90 per cent.”

“We welcome the re-appointment of Minister Rodriguez, who we expect will move swiftly to introduce legislation within 100 days that would require digital platforms that generate revenues from the publication of news content to share a portion of their revenues with Canadian news outlets,” said Paul Deegan, president and CEO of News Media Canada. “With all parties in agreement on the overall direction of the Australian model, we also hope that passage can be accomplished in early 2022 via budget implementation to put the industry on an urgently needed sustainable footing.”

About News Media Canada

News Media Canada is the voice of the print and digital news media industry in Canada and represents hundreds of trusted titles in every province and territory. News Media Canada is an advocate in public policy for daily and community media outlets and contributes to the ongoing evolution of the news media industry by raising awareness and promoting the benefits of news media across all platforms. For more information, visit our website at www.newsmediacanada.ca or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Contacts

Paul Deegan, President and CEO 
News Media Canada 
pdeegan@newsmediacanada.ca