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By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)

This blog posts traces Microsoft’s lobbying activities in November and December 2022 by tracking communications reports registered by Microsoft on the Registry of Lobbyist website. This blog post presents Microsoft’s November 2022 lobbying communication reports and also presents the contracts Microsoft signed with the government valued over $10,000 for the month. Next, this blog post presents Microsoft’s December 2022 lobbying activities and communication reports and government contracts signed. Overall, this post shows that Microsoft’s lobbying activities for the combined months of November and December 2022 were about the environment and privacy concerns related to Bill C-27 (the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022).

Microsoft Canada Inc.: November Lobbying Summary

Microsoft Canada President Chris Barry has registered six communications from November through December. Five of these communications were on the topic of “Privacy and Access to Information” and one was about the “Environment.”

Microsoft Canada’s lobbying details on the registry of lobbyist site notes that they communicate “with the Government of Canada about Bill C-27 (Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022), more specifically the creation of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act, and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act.”  

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, notes that C-27 involves four principle objectives: 1) Gives people more control of their data online, 2) Protects children’s information 3) Addresses the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) 4) Brings Canada’s privacy laws into the 21st century.   

In order to give Canadians more access over their data, Bill C-27 introduces data portability which would allow users to request access to their data so they may migrate from their current service provider to an alternative one. However, As Bryan Short of OpenMedia points out, data portability is only meaningful in a competitive industry where the consumer has several viable options when it comes to choosing a service provider. Bill C-27 is at second reading in the House of Commons.

Related to Microsoft’s ‘Environmental’ lobbying activity. On November 7, 2022, Microsoft announced its 15-year agreement with Potentia Renewables Inc and Greengate Power Corporation. The agreement allows Microsoft to utilize 543GWh of renewable wind energy for its operations in Paintearth County, Alberta. Speaking on this development, Chris Barry said: “Renewable energy supply contracts like this agreement with Potentia and Greengate are key to meeting our goal of contracting 100 percent of our energy consumption with renewable sources by 2025… This agreement with Paintearth is an important step in helping Microsoft deliver on our renewable energy commitments in Canada.”  

Microsoft’s Government Contracts Signed During November and December 2022

In November 2022, Microsoft signed 21 government contracts over $10,000. In addition to the lobbying communications chart, the chart below displays all contracts valued over $10,000 signed in the month of November, 2022.

Microsoft Canada Inc.: December Lobbying Summary and Government Contracts Signed

Microsoft registered only two communications reports in December. Both were on the subject of ‘Privacy and Access to Information’. These meetings were with members of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). In December 2022, Microsoft signed three government contracts over $10,000. On December 1, 2022, Microsoft signed two government contracts.  One contract was with Indigenous Services Canada for work related to “computer services” for a total value of $29,229.49. The second contract was worth $151,646.00 and was signed with Canada Revenue Agency for work involving “License/Maintenance fees for client software related to Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)”. On December 8, 2022, Microsoft signed a large contract with Public Services and Procurement Canada worth $3,674, 127.10 also for “License/Maintenance fees for client software related to Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)”  

By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)

IBM Canada Ltd.: November and December Lobbying Summaries

Dave McCann, President of IBM Canada, continued his October talks with Ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). McCan met ISED once in November and again in December, 2022 to discuss ‘Science and Technology’. IBM’s lobbying information profile on the registry of lobbyist website notes that the company is broadly interested in “Communicating with government officials, in general, about regional economic development. The goal of these communications is to advocate for robust regional economic development strategies.”  On December 9, 2022, IBM announced the creation of a client innovation centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick that will create 250 full time jobs in the area related to “application developers, technical testers, business analysts, customer experience workers, design consultants, and workers in digital transformation.” The Client Innovation Centre was backed by the provincial government. Opportunities New Brunswick is investing $4.8 million to help IBM create these jobs. Arlene Dunn, minister responsible for Opportunities in New Brunswick noted “Many of the world’s most successful companies have discovered our province because of our winning combination of people, diversity, agility, infrastructure and innovation. Through investments like this one, we are building upon New Brunswick’s reputation as an IT hub.”

IBM Government Contracts Signed During November and December 2022

Although IBM did not register many lobbying communications from November to December 2022, IBM was busy signing government contracts during these months. From November to December 2021, IBM signed 28 government contracts, each valued over $10,000. The chart below displays all contracts valued over $10,000 signed in the months of November and December 2022. This list was complied from content available on the Search Government Contracts over $10,000 site.  

By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)

Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC: November Lobbying Summary

This monthly lobbying report follows Amazon’s lobbying activity through the months of November and December 2022. This blog post is structured to present Amazon’s November 2022 lobbying communications and activities first, followed by Amazon’s December 2022 lobbying communications and activities. Lastly, this blog post provides an overview of Amazon’s government contracts valued over $10,000 that were signed in the months of November and December 2022.

Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Amazon.com Sales and Amazon Foreign Holdings. Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services involve the sorting and distribution of customer orders in Canada. In the last month, AFS has lobbied Members of the Senate, Members of Parliament, Policy Advisors of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and Policy Advisors of Canadian Heritage (PCH) on the subject of “Broadcasting” for a total of six registered lobbying communications. Sumegha Kuma, Director of Canadian Customer Fulfillment Operations for Amazon Canada, has also registered two communications reports on the topic of “Economic Development” with Members of Parliament. Amazon Canada Fulfilment’s lobbying registration notes that it aims to “Work with government to facilitate the process of selling goods and services online and delivering them to consumers” and “to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce.”  

While Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services’ lobbying profile does not explain what it specifically lobbies about related to broadcasting, this lobbying activity is likely related to Bill C-11 as Amazon hosts its own streaming service Amazon Prime. As noted in a previous monthly update, As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada.

Amazon Corporate LLC: November Lobbying Summary

Amazon Corporate LLC is a subsidiary of Amazon which filled two lobbying communication reports on the subject matters of “Broadcasting,” and “Arts and Culture” for November 2022. A lobbying consultant for Amazon Corporate LLC met with Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, and on another occasion with a Policy Advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office.  

Amazon Web Services: November Lobbying Summary

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that “provides on-demand cloud computing services for individuals, companies and governments on a metred, pay-as-you-go basis”.  AWS registered 17 communications reports in the month of November. Seven of these communications were on the topic of “Industry” with Members of Parliament and a Vice Chief of Defence Staff National Defence (DND). Another seven of the communications were about “Science and Technology” with Policy Advisors in various government departments such as Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). Amazon Web Services also met with Members of Parliament to discuss “Privacy and Access to Information”. One communication report states that consultant Steve Van Groningen met a Policy Advisor of the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss “Broadcasting,” and “Arts and Culture.”

On December 14, 2022 Nicole Foster, AWS Inc’s Director of Global Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Canada Public Policy, served as a witness during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI).  The meeting was about “Privacy Concerns in Relation to the ArriveCAN Application.

Introduced in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government’s ArriveCAN app served as a vaccination verification and COVID-19 screening tool for travellers crossing borders. Use of ArriveCAN became mandatory for travellers in February 2021. The app collects personal data identification data like names, telephone number, address, and also vaccination status, which is then used to help public health officials enforce the government’s quarantine rules.

Privacy concerns and controversies have loomed over the ArriveCAN app. In July 2022, the government acknowledged a glitch in the app which mistakenly sent more than 10,000 vaccinated travellers a quarantine requirement notice.  It took the government 12 days to notify travellers of the error . There were also reports that the app was tracking location data without user’s knowledge.

Concerns were raised about how long the information is stored and how it is shared between different government agencies. In June 2020, federal Conservatives pushed for a formal review the potential misuse of data collected and stored by ArriveCAN. In response, the Privacy Commissioner confirmed that he had no concerns related to the ArriveCAN app, but launched a new investigation a month later when the Office of the Privacy Commissioner received a privacy complaint related to ArriveCAN.

Because the Canadian Government contracted the work on developing the app with tech companies, the technology behind the app is considered proprietary information. This has frustrated the government’s attempts to learn about how the software works. When the MP’s requested information about the contractors used to develop the app, the files provided by Canada Border Services Agency were heavily redacted.

In front of the ETHI standing committee, Foster answered questions related to AWS’s involvement in the development of ArriveCAN and the app’s privacy concerns. Foster could only give the ETHI a partial understanding of the services and contract totals that Amazon was involved in for the ArriveCAN project. When asked whether Foster was satisfied with the privacy framework of the ArriveCAN app, Foster noted that decisions related to the governance of privacy are decisions for the customer – in this case the government, to make. “Our job, really, is to provide the tools to enable the customer to govern data in the way they want to govern data.” When asked how much Amazon was paid for their contracted involvement in the ArriveCAN app, Foster noted, “In the case of all our customers, we protect customer confidentiality, so we would never proactively disclose that information without customer consent. It would really be up to our customers to choose to share that information.”  Such partial responses evoked the frustration from members of the ETHI Committee who questioned whether Foster was the proper Amazon representative to speak on front of the Standing Committee. These frustrations related to privacy concerns and information about government contracts may signal what Amazon has lobbied about in lobbying communications.

Amazon Web Services: December Lobbying Summary

AWS registered three communication reports for the month of December 2022 about ‘Science and Technology’, ‘Industry’, and ‘Economic Development.

Amazon’s Government Contracts Signed During November and December 2022

Amazon Web services signed three government contracts, each valued over $10,000 between the months on November and December 2022. This list was complied from content available on the Search Government Contracts over $10,000 site.  

By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)

Netflix Services Canada ULC: November Lobbying Summary

Netflix Services Canada ULC is a subsidiary of Netflix Inc. Reg Thompson, President of Netflix Services Canada ULC, registered four communications with Directors of Policy of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Canadian Heritage (PCH) on the subject matter of “Arts and Culture, Broadcasting.”

Scott’s comments signal a subtle change in tone, suggesting a lighter approach to the regulation of Canadian content on streaming service operating in Canada than originally thought. Initially, in June of 2022, Scott claimed that the regulator may require platforms to “manipulate [the algorithm] to produce particular outcomes.”  This, he seemed to clarify in November, may not be the case. Rather, Scott argues that the CRTC is interested primarily in an outcome where Canadian content is being promoted by streaming platforms, regulators are less interested in the specific tools they apply to generate that outcome.

On December 9, 2022, legal scholar Michael Geist suggested that part of the problem with Bill C-11 is what counts as Canadian content that streaming platforms are being asked to promote. Geist notes that although a program can be produced, filmed, and about Canada, if Netflix owns the intellectual property that program will not count as Canadian content. Because the criteria for CanCon remains somewhat unclear for platforms and their users, Geist notes that the CRTC has forced Netflix into a uncomfortable regulatory position.  

Geist’s article suggests that Netflix’s meetings with the CRTC and Canadian Heritage are about what should count as CanCon, and continuing discussions about whether, or if at all, user generated content would be regulated under Bill C-11. Netflix has significant interest in these communications because, as Geist notes: “Netflix pumps billions of dollars into film and television production and content licensing in Canada; it spends more on dramatic film and television production in Canada than any Canadian broadcaster.”  

The following table charts Netflix’s logged communication reports for the month of November 2022. Netflix logged no communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyist for the month of December 2022. The information provided in this chart come from Netflix Canada’s profile on the Registry of Lobbyist website.

By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)

Google Canada Corporation: November 2022 Lobbying Summary

Google spent November 2022 lobbying about Bill C-11, the online streaming bill, and Bill C-18, the online news bill. Bill C-11 would give the Canadian Government powers to regulate digital streaming platforms and would have these platforms promote Canadian content online. Bill C-18 would effectively force tech companies hosting digital platforms, like Google and Meta, to negotiate financial compensation with news organizations for news links shared on digital platforms. This blog post looks at Googles lobbying activity through the month of November 2022 and reveals the lobbying communications reports that Google logged for the month with the Registry of Lobbyist website.

During the month of November 2022, Google Canada’s Managing Director Sabrina Geremia registered communications with Policy Directors and Advisors, Members of Parliament, and Members of the Senate for a total of six registered lobbying communications on the topic of “Media,” “Justice and Law Enforcement,” and “Broadcasting”. Geremia reported two other lobbying communications, one regarding “Science and Technology” with a Senator of Quebec, and the other about “Science and Technology,” and “Privacy and Access to Information” with a Policy Advisor at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).

Google was active in blogging and lobbying on C-11 in November. In early October, YouTube (owned by Google), had published a blog post about Bill C-11 titled “Canada: Keep YouTube Yours,” setting out its position on the bill.  The blog argued that Bill C-11 threatens the success of Canadian content creators because it aims to alter their audience, making it more difficult for Canadian creators to connect with audiences abroad. The YouTube blog notes, “over 90% of watch time on Canadian channels comes from outside Canada.”  YouTube also warns about a future of state-controlled media claiming “Put into practice [Bill C-11], this means that when viewers come to the YouTube homepage, they’re served content that a Canadian Government regulator has prioritized, rather than content they are interested in.”

 Google’s lobbying profile on the Registry of Lobbyist website notes that Google also actively lobbied on Bill C-11 about the regulation of online content. In early December, a Senate committee reported an amendment on Section 4.2 of Bill C-11 which may resolve some of Google’s concerns.  The amendment would remove a revenue test that would have included revenue-generating user generated content as part of what the CRTC could regulate as a ‘program’ under the bill. The amendment meant that Bill C-11 would dramatically narrow the range of “amateur” user generated content that the bill could apply to on streaming platforms.

Google’s lobbying profile also notes that it actively lobbies about the regulation of online content under Bill C-18. Bill C-18 would obligate Google and Facebook parent company Meta to share revenues with news publishers by forcing the companies to reach commercial deals.  On November 14, 2022, Google posted on its Public Policy blog that “It’s time to fix Bill C-18”. The blog post claimed that Bill C-18 “included measures… neither in the interests of Canadians, nor an effective response to the challenges facing the evolving news ecosystem.” The blog post raises concerns about negative effects of Bill C-18 for the Canadian public such as the “proliferation of misinformation” and supporting “large players” rather than local journalism as the Bill intends. The blog post also notes that Bill C-18 is “unworkable for platforms and unreasonable from a business standpoint”.  Such complaints suggest the specific concerns that Google Canada is raising in lobbying meetings with government officials.

Google Canada Corporation: December 2022 Lobbying Summary

Google lobbyists were not quite as active in December with three communications logs. Two were on the topic of “Broadcasting,” and “Media”—one with the Heritage Minister’s Chief of Staff and the Director of Communications of Canadian Heritage, and the other with a Policy Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office. In December, Google also logged one communication with a policy advisor of the Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada on the topics of “Environment,” and “Science and Technology.”

On December 14, 2022, Bill C-18 passed in the House of Commons and was headed for the Senate. The Bill would obligate Google and Facebook parent company Meta to share revenues with news publishers by forcing the companies to reach commercial deals.