A majority of senators gave the final green light needed to send the bill back to the House of Commons.

This seal of approval led to a third reading vote with 51 votes in favor and 23 against. Very few of the changes made are likely to displease the government.

This situation could ease the future if the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois continue to stay on the same wavelength as Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the House of Commons, as they have done in the past.

In order for royal assent to be formalized and C-18 to become law, both chambers must agree on the same version of the proposed legislation.

In fact, the vast majority of amendments tabled by senators are supported by the government, or at least the government does not oppose them, Upper House supporter of the bill Senator Peter Harder said during clause-by-sentence deliberation in the Senate committee.

With this law, the government wants to oblige Google and Meta to conclude agreements with the Canadian media on “fair compensation” based on several criteria. The two digital groups are firmly against it.

“We are very concerned about the path we are taking and are urgently seeking to work with the government to find a compromise that will prevent a negative outcome for Canadians and pave the way for us to sustain and increase our investments within the community.” boost the news ecosystem in Canada,” spokesman for Google’s Canadian division Shay Purdy said in writing Thursday.

Meta directed The Canadian Press to a website where the company reiterated that “if Bill C-18 […] Once enacted, content shared by news media, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to Facebook and Instagram users in Canada.”

In connection with the end of C-18’s legislative journey, as announced earlier this month, Meta has already initiated its blockade after months of repeated threats of so-called “tests”. Google had already done the same in March and leaves open the possibility of a return to the allegation.

Meta claimed that its “tests” should identify any issues before finally turning off the tap. This week, screenshots of people who do not have access to the Facebook pages of newspapers such as Le Journal de Québec or La Presse circulated, sparking a wave of denunciation among press owners, media and politicians.

Culture Minister Pablo Rodriguez was among those who condemned the “attempted intimidation”. “I want to thank the senators for their important work during the trial of Bill C-18,” he said in a written statement Thursday.

He initially did not want to comment on the changes made by the Senate. “Ultimately, we want to continue having a free and independent press, it is fundamental to our democracy,” he added.

When the bill was presented in April last year, the government set out the goal of giving digital companies six months to voluntarily reach an agreement with a range of stakeholders, including local media authorities, otherwise they would be forced into a three-tier negotiation framework.

The first is to set a deadline of around three months for the parties to reach an agreement. A mediation procedure can then be initiated with a maximum duration of around four months and, as a last resort, an arbitration procedure with a maximum duration of 45 days.

An amendment proposed by the Senate provides for the six-month period to be recorded in black and white. Another proposed change – the only one the government will oppose, according to Senator Harder – would mean that media and digital companies would have to “discuss the value that each party has” from the first phase of the proposed negotiating framework. derives message content” and what to transmit.

Without the amendment, it is mentioned that this “value”, which may be monetary or otherwise, need only be considered at the arbitration stage.

Thomas Owen Ripley, Assistant Secretary of State for Heritage, said during the Senate committee inquiry into C-18 that the decision was made in the hope that most negotiations would be completed and exited without the need for arbitration. in the earlier stages “a large margin of maneuver (and) discretion for the parties”.

Meta funds a limited number of grants to support emerging journalists at The Canadian Press.