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As a result of a misguided new law and the stubbornness of big tech companies, the Canadian news industry faces digital extinction.

On June 22, the Canadian government passed Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act. This new piece of legislation requires big tech companies like Google and Meta to pay news publications a fair share of their revenue if they show content produced by those news outlets.

Canada was due for a law that addresses digital monopoly because both Meta and Google have unmatched dominance over social media and news accessibility. Meta’s strength is supported by its ownership of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, allowing it to exploit personal data and boost user consumption. Google’s monopolization, on the other hand, is more subtle. Even when reading the news directly on a separate website, the advertisement’s revenue on that website could still go to Google.

The tech giants, however, soon made it clear that they would sidestep the new law. Lisa Laventure, spokeswoman for Meta Canada, stated that Bill C-18 was built on a flawed premise, and that it would be unfair for the company to lose its profit to organizations with whom it has no connection.

Consequently, after the bill received royal assent, Meta announced a prohibition of news-sharing on its platforms. Similarly, Google said that it would block Canadian news links on its search engine. This means that big tech is actually accelerating what the government set out to prevent – complete monopolization of the media market.

Two years ago, the Australian government proposed a media bargaining code for Facebook and Google. The Australian government reached an agreement with the companies, balancing out their interests and, more importantly, establishing news-sharing freedom.

This type of negotiation is less likely to occur in Canada because Bill C-18 has already been passed.

Avoiding big tech’s all-seeing eye

Right now, every post on Christian Courier’s Facebook page has vanished from computers in Canada. “This page isn’t available right now” is the only message left. Experts still do not know the extent to which journalistic content is being limited, as the details of Bill C-18 and the restrictive policies from Meta and Google are unclear. But here at CC, we’re already feeling the effects. If you are reading this article online in Canada, you won’t be able to share it on social media. If you’ve been following us on Instagram, you’ll no longer see the unique “Behind the Scenes” videos we’ve been creating.

CC’s social media presence is a key factor in our sustainability. Based on the results of our reader engagement survey, 59 percent of you read articles online, and 60 percent of our website visitors access CC content either through Google, Instagram or Facebook. We’ve already seen a decline in website traffic since July. Curious about how C-18 is affecting other publications, I contacted a few journalists to see how they are adjusting.

Broadview, a Toronto-based magazine that focuses on spirituality, social justice and perspectives from the United Church of Canada, pointed out the higher impact this legislation will have on newcomers to Canada. A Media Technology Monitor study published in February showed that 40 percent of recent immigrants to Canada rely on social media as their main source of news content, as opposed to 17 percent of Canadian-born respondents.

The Christian Herald, a faith-based publication that reports on Evangelical Christianity and humanitarian causes, has an infrequent presence on social media and is therefore less concerned with the aftermath of Bill C-18. Editor-in-chief Fazal Karim Jr. says the Herald “has long concentrated on our print newspaper.” The Herald distributes its content in “over 500 GTA church lobbies with more than 20,000 copies each issue, 10 times a year.” Karim, nonetheless, still acknowledges the problems with the legislation and its far-reaching effects.

Faith Today, a leading evangelical news source in Canada, advertised its free email newsletter around the same time Meta terminated news sharing. But senior editor Bill Fledderus is not too pessimistic about the new policy’s effect on the magazine. “I’ve been hoping we’ll be spared at least in the first round. . . the main targets are news organizations like CBC, CTV, newspapers.”

Something might also develop from a request to the Canadian Competition Bureau to investigate whether Meta’s prohibition of news links is “anti-competitive” and thus threatens democracy.

Without news, democracy is imperiled. Having access to a wide array of up-to-date information via social media makes us more informed. Taylor Owen, leader of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, has observed worrisome trends in Canada’s political landscape: “We are not just polarized but we increasingly dislike people who believe other things . . . That is not unrelated [to] the question of reliable information in a democratic society.” With Meta and Google restricting our accessibility to diverse news sources and slowing down newspaper readership rates, these divisions are only further heightened. Regardless, as CC’s own editor-in-chief Angela Reitsma Bick wrote, “thankfully our efforts depend on loyal readers and on God’s grace, not Google or Facebook.”

“God does not need social media,” Will Braun, editor of Canadian Mennonite, said. “I would be relieved if we were forced to work outside the realm of Facebook and Instagram. It would be good for the soul. If the church is dependent on social media, we’re in trouble.”

“I think the Amish have much to offer in their questioning of tech,” he continued, “which tends to be wildly misunderstood. The Holdeman Mennonites have ‘technology committees’ – some venue in which to at least acknowledge and assess new tech. Most churches just adopt everything new as if falling from heaven.”

As big tech’s push comes to shove, we remain convinced that our loyal readers enjoy the offline experience of print. According to our summer survey results, 37 percent of CC readers appreciate the break from screen time; 49 percent say they are more likely to read CC if they see a print copy around the house; and 52 percent like physically holding paper in their hands. Our print edition, like the email newsletter, allows you to access the hope-filled news you won’t find anywhere else – a vision that Christian Courier has held firm to for almost 80 years.