By Toronto Star
OTTAWA—Feedback on Google’s proposal to comply with the Liberals’ online news law has exposed a rift in Canada’s media sector over how — and when — a major financial lifeline should be thrown to the country’s beleaguered news outlets.
At stake is $100 million the global search giant has agreed to dole out to Canadian news publishers, broadcasters and business owners as part of its efforts to avoid being subjected to Ottawa’s contentious Online News Act.
The agreement struck late last year, which will see $100 million distributed by a group known as the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC), is Google’s proposal to get an exemption from that regime.
The CJC has been criticized by larger and legacy media players, who had put forward a proposal of their own that Google rejected earlier this year.
The speed at which the cash would land in companies’ coffers led the vast majority of respondents to conclude that the proposal from Google and the CJC should be approved — with some big caveats.
The CJC, for its part, says it is prepared to disburse the first round of funding to eligible news businesses around 60 days after the agreement is approved by the CRTC. The regulator told the Star it would not comment on when its final decision is expected.
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