‘I’d rather settle at the table’: Miller looks to negotiate return of news on Facebook, as Australia moves to fine big tech

Ottawa is not yet considering bringing forward legislation to reinstate news content on Facebook and Instagram, as Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller said he still wants to push Meta Platforms Inc. in ongoing negotiations. “I’d rather settle at the table,” he told The Wire Report on May 5. “ that doesn’t mean the discussions aren’t frustrating.” Meta has banned news content on its social media platforms since 2023, when the federal government passed Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, which required big tech companies to compensate Canadian media outlets for news material that appears on their platforms. In 2024, Google reached an agreement to annually provide $100 million to Canadian media outlets, allowing news content to remain on its website, but Meta responded to the law by promptly removing all content from Facebook and Instagram. Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) has insisted that the Liberal government has been negotiating with Meta in an effort to bring news back to the platforms, which are used by a majority of Canadians. During an appearance before the House heritage committee on May 5, Miller told Conservative MP Andrew Lawton (Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, Ont.) that he couldn’t divulge specifics of the negotiations “because they are difficult,” but he noted that it “isn’t ideal” that people cannot post news on Facebook. Meta did not respond to a request for comment regarding the current state of discussions. As such, The Wire Report asked Miller if he could draw inspiration from a recent bill introduced by the Australian government to establish a “News Bargaining Incentive” that would effectively force social media companies to reach compensatory deals with domestic media outlets — or risk government fines that would then be distributed to support journalism. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour government is still consulting on the bill, but it proposes charging tech companies 2.25 per cent of domestic revenues, if an agreement is not reached. “In an increasingly uncertain world, it is crucial Australians are able to get news seen through Australian eyes and with an Australian perspective,” read a statement from Daniel Mulino, the country’s minister of financial services. “Large digital platforms have an important role to play in providing access to news for all Australians and being partners in innovation, we would like to see them work with the news media on commercial deals with benefit to both parties.” Miller said he “briefly” saw the Australian law and noted how it reflects the “legitimate frustration” of people not being able to share news online. “Obviously, negotiations haven’t led to where they want to be,” he said. “But we’re not at where Australia is in their thought process.” “This is about people paying their fair share, and that can be negotiated, but the principal can’t.” Liberals should realize C-18 was ‘a mistake,’ says Geist Australia’s proposal, which was announced last week, garnered attention from media experts across Canada, considering its potential implications on Canadian policy. In an interview with The Wire Report, University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist, a vocal opponent of the Online News Act, described the Australia approach as “a tax” and a “cross-industry subsidy.” “What they’re really saying is you have to pay this minimum amount to Australian media , if you don’t, we’re going to charge you,” said Geist, who also holds the Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law. “It’s not even that you have to have deals, it’s that the government is even intervening on the minimum amount of the deals,” he continued, referencing the proposed 2.25 per cent charge. Geist said the Australian bill “removed any pretense” the initial policy had anything to do with news or linking to news content on platforms. “They are saying, ‘you make a lot of money in advertising and we want you to give some of that money to our media.” Like Canada, Australia’s news media sector has struggled with declining revenues over the last couple decades, as consumers and advertisers increasingly switch away from traditional media sources towards online and digital platforms. The News Bargaining Incentive would replace legislation passed in Australia in 2021 — the first time a national government legislated tech companies to compensate news outlets — which led to agreements between social media platforms and news publishers. However, in 2024, Meta said it would not renew the initial deals and threatened to block news content on its websites in Australia moving forwards. “This is kind of too cute by half,” said Geist. “If you want to tax on the basis of , that’s fine…, but it’s to do that while avoiding the imagery that somehow the government’s taxing and handing out, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.” According to Geist, instead of following Australia’s lead, Miller and co. should acknowledge that the Online News Act was “a mistake.” “There’s a chance to hit a reset button here because I think the legislation has caused harm, in particular to Canadian news outlets who have now gone several years without having their content appear on those platforms,” he said. "And, frankly, Canadians as a whole have been harmed because it’s not a great thing to not have those news outlets’ content available on platforms where tens of millions of Canadians are.” Miller can’t kick the CUSMA hornet’s nest: Winseck It should be noted that other experts endorsed Australia’s proposal, as Toronto Metropolitan University professor Angela Misri said the policy could help Canada restore balance to the media ecosystem. “If you are a fake news creator, you are welcomed by the algorithm. If you create hateful content, you are welcomed. If you create factual news for the betterment of humankind, you are algorithmically punished because you are asking to be paid pennies for the work,” Misri told The Wire Report in an email. “Has that ever made sense?” “Ask yourself this - like AI, would social media exist without the content it reposts and steals? If they banned all copyrighted content from social media (not just news) but literally everything copyrighted, social media would be empty. They used news content to lure audiences away from news programming, and then cut them off when they saw fit.” The idea also received a thumbs-up from Dwayne Winseck, a media studies professor at Carleton University, who described it as “a great way of pinning Facebook to the wall.” But, he continued, it’s unlikely Canada would pursue a similar policy as long as the forthcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) looms over Ottawa. The Online News Act was recently identified by Jamieson Greer, the White House’s pointperson for trade, as an irritant during trade negotiations. In December, Greer told a joint congressional committee the “resolution” of the law, alongside other digital policies, including the Online Streaming Act, would be imperative for a successful renewal of CUSMA. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has also heavily criticized Australia’s proposed News Bargaining Incentive, equating it to “foreign extortion,” according to AdNews. For Winseck, the Canadian government is somewhat frozen on media policy pending the outcome of the CUSMA renewal. “They’re hemmed in by the CUSMA negotiations,” he said. “Why stick your head in the hornet’s nest over something that might get you $100 million, when you have tens of billions on the line in trade talks?” Winseck said Miller was right not to commit to following the Australian legislation, as he can “let other folks hang this stuff in the public window.” “This is something that can be taken up once the CUSMA stuff is wrapped up,” he continued. The CUSMA renewal is scheduled for July 1, though it’s unclear whether trade discussions will conclude by that deadline. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

‘I’d rather settle at the table’: Miller looks to negotiate return of news on Facebook, as Australia moves to fine big tech

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By Davis Legree
|May 6, 2026

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‘I’d rather settle at the table’: Miller looks to negotiate return of news on Facebook, as Australia moves to fine big tech

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