Maryland State House by Danny Huizinga (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/onmk19

Maryland State House by Danny Huizinga (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/onmk19

News

How Did News Media Canada Get Bill C-18? The Lobbying Records Tell the Story

Bill C-18, the Online News Act, represents a massive win for News Media Canada, the lobbying arm for news organizations such as Postmedia and Torstar. After obtaining hundreds of millions in taxpayer support with programs such as the Local Journalism Initiative (made permanent in Budget 2022), the Journalism Labour Tax Credit, and the Digital Subscription Tax Credit, the organization set its sights on the Internet platforms. In fact, not content with obtaining payments for reproduction of news content, it lobbied for a far broader approach that even includes payment for links or merely “facilitating access” to news content. The bill has already led to spiked op-eds critical of the government in the papers represented by News Media Canada, with critical commentary an outlier.

So what convinced the government to introduce a bill that adopts such an extreme approach? A look at the registered lobbyist meetings just since the election last September provides a hint. There have been 52 registered meetings with Ministers, MPs, and senior officials or roughly one meeting every four days since election day nearly 8 months ago. This represents an astonishing level of access and may help explain why the concerns of independent media and the broader public are missing from the bill.

 

Number

Communication Date

Designated Public Office Holders

1

2022-04-14

Lisa Hepfner, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons

2

2022-04-13

Michael Penney, Executive
Assistant, Senate of Canada

3

2022-04-11

Harold Boies, Director,
Periodical Policy and Programs, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

Ramzi Saad, Director
General, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

Drew Olsen, Associate
Director General, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

4

2022-04-06

Brian MacKay, Policy
Advisor, Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

Ron Ahluwalia, Director of
Policy Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

5

2022-03-30

Elliott Lockington, Chief of
Staff, Associate Minister of Finance

6

2022-03-28

Brian MacKay, Policy
Advisor, Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

Ron Ahluwalia, Director of
Policy Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

7

2022-03-24

Harold Boies, Director,
Periodical Policy and Programs, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

8

2022-03-22

Tim Louis, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons

9

2022-03-16

Harold Boies, Director,
Periodical Policy and Programs, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

Ashish Sharma, Senior
Policy and Research Analyst, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

10

2022-03-14

Brian MacKay, Policy
Advisor, Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

11

2022-03-11

Harold Boies, Director,
Periodical Policy and Programs, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Karl Lamirande, Manager, Newspaper Policy,
Canadian Heritage (PCH)

12

2022-03-04

Brian MacKay, Senior Policy
Advisor, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Simon Ross, Policy Advisor, Canadian
Heritage (PCH)

13

2022-03-03

Keith Mitchell, Legislative
Assistant, House of Commons
John Nater, Member of Parliament
House of Commons

14

2022-03-01

Benedicta Arthur, Issues
Management & Research, Senate of Canada
David Dlab, Parliamentary Affairs Adviser, Senate
of Canada
Colin Deacon, Senator, Senate of Canada

15

2022-02-24

Simon Kennedy, Deputy
Minister
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
(ISED)

16

2022-02-23

Peter Julian, Member of
Parliament & NDP House Leader, House of Commons
Doris Mah, Chief of Staff to Peter Julian MP,
House of Commons

17

2022-02-17

Tony Loffreda, Senator,
Senate of Canada
Eric Gagnon, Adviser, Senate of Canada

19

2022-02-16

Brian MacKay, Policy
Advisor, Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

20

2022-02-10

Brian MacKay, Policy
Advisor, Minister’s Office, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

21

2022-02-10

Lorna Bonvie, Director,
Advertising and Marketing, Privy Council Office (PCO)

22

2022-02-09

Lyle Skinner, Director of
Parliamentary Affairs, Senate of Canada
Jim Quinn, Senator, Senate of Canada

23

2022-02-04

Peter Opdam, Policy
Advisor
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
(ISED)

24

2022-02-02

Brian
MacKay
,
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
David  Hurl,
Director of Policy, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

25

2022-02-02

Isabelle Mondou, Deputy
Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Manon Paquet, Chief of Staff, Canadian Heritage
(PCH)
Frederick Matern, Manager, Policy Canadian
Heritage (PCH)

26

2022-01-28

Lisa Jorgensen, Director of
Policy, Justice Canada (JC)

27

2022-01-26

James Maloney, Member of
Parliament
H of C, House of Commons

28

2022-01-25

Leslyn Lewis, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons

29

2022-01-24

James Maloney, Member of
Parliament
H of C, House of Commons

30

2022-01-20

Pablo Rodriguez, Minister
Canadian Heritage (PCH)

31

2022-01-19

John Matheson, Chief of
Staff, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Pablo Rodriguez, Minister, Canadian Heritage
(PCH)
David Hurl, Director of Policy, Office the
Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Brian  MacKay,
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Simon Ross, Policy Advisor, Canadian Heritage
(PCH)

32

2022-01-18

John Matheson, Chief of
Staff, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
David Hurl, Director of Policy, Canadian Heritage
(PCH)
Brian  MacKay,
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

33

2022-01-18

Martin Champoux, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons
Lambert Drainville, Researcher (MP Officer),
House of Commons
Melissa Mayer, Parliamentary Assistant to Martin
Champoux, House of Commons

34

2022-01-14

Adam Chambers, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons

35

2022-01-13

Lionel Adimi, Policy
Advisor, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)

36

2022-01-13

Erin O’Toole, Leader of the
Opposition, House of Commons
Andrew Swidzinski , Researcher, Research Bureau –
Conservative, House of Commons

37

2022-01-12

John McKay, Member of
Parliament
House of Commons

39

2022-01-12

Anne McGrath, National
Director, NDP
House of Commons
Jonathan Gauvin, Researcher
Party Leader, NDP, House of Commons

40

2022-01-10

Anthony Housefather, Member of
Parliament, House of Commons

41

2021-12-15

John Nater, Member of
Parliament, House of Commons
Keith Mitchell, Legislative Assistant
Office of John Nater, MP, House of Commons

42

2021-12-15

Brian
MacKay
,
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
David  Hurl,
Director of Policy, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

43

2021-11-18

Lorna Bonvie, Director,
Advertising and Marketing, Privy Council Office (PCO)
Jean Tessier, Director General, Strategic
Communications, Privy Council Office (PCO)

44

2021-11-18

Isabelle Mondou, Deputy
Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Joelle Montminy, Senior Assistant Deputy
Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Thomas Owen Ripley, Associate Assistant Deputy
Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

45

2021-11-18

Tyler Meredith, Director of
Economic Strategy and Planning, Office of the Minister
of Finance, Finance Canada (FIN)
Mathew Hall, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the
Minister of Finance, Finance Canada (FIN)

46

2021-11-18

Ken
MacKillop
,
Head of Communications
Privy Council Office (PCO)
Sarah Leblanc, Chief of Staff, Privy Council
Office (PCO)

47

2021-11-16

John Matheson, Chief of
Staff to the Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Quebec Lieutenant, Canadian Heritage (PCH)

48

2021-11-05

Francis Drouin, Member of
Parliament
H of C, House of Commons

49

2021-11-01

Greg Fergus, Member of
Parliament
H of C, House of Commons

50

2021-10-13

Mona Fortier, Minister of
Middle class prosperity, Finance Canada, Finance Canada
(FIN)

51

2021-10-12

Tyler Meredith, Policy
Advisor, Finance Canada (FIN)

52

2021-09-28

Rebecca Caldwell, Director of
Policy, Canadian Heritage (PCH)
Mathieu Bouchard, Chief of Staff, Canadian
Heritage (PCH)