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.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-11-03 | Reem Zaia, Director of Policy & Legal Affairs | Office of the Minister | Public Safety Canada (PS) | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-03 | -Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister | Canadian Heritage (PCH) -Julie Harb , Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister | Canadian Heritage (PCH) -Ashley Michnowski, Director of Communications | Office of the Minister | Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-09 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology, Privacy and Access to Information | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-11 | Leo Housakos, Senator for Québec | Senate of Canada | Science and Technology | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-15 | Melissa Lantsman, Member of Parliament for Thornhill | House of Commons | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-15 | Rachael Thomas, Member of Parliament for Lethbridge | House of Commons – Marilyn Gladu, Member of Parliament for Sarnia—Lambton | House of Commons – Martin Shields, Member of Parliament for Bow River | House of Commons | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-15 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) – Owen Ripley, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs | Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-11-16 | Roy Rempel, Senior Policy Advisor | Office of the Leader of the Opposition | Senate of Canada | Media, Justice and Law Enforcement, Broadcasting | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
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.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-12-01 | Eamonn McGuinty, Senior Policy Advisor Office of the Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) | Environment, Science and Technology | Sabrina Geremia |
| 2022-12-13 | Jude Welch, Chief of Staff Office of the Minister , Canadian Heritage (PCH) Ashley Michnowski, Director of Communications Office of the Minister , Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia |
| 2022-12-15 | Lionel Fritz Adimi, Policy Advisor, Policy and Cabinet Affairs Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia |