By: Helen Beny, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
As Bill C-18, the Online News Act, and Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, move through the house and senate, tech companies have ramped up their lobbying. Facebook, Google, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Netflix registered 34 registered lobbying communications in October (Figure 1). Meta (Facebook Canada Ltd.) and Alphabet (Google) focussed on C-18 and C-11.
Tech companies have registered 353 lobbying communications so far in 2022. According to our tech lobbying timeline, platforms such as Google and Amazon have increased their lobbying efforts in Canada and overall, this month bringing annual tech lobbying to an all-time annual high.
The following chart shows the number of lobbying communications per company in October 2022:
Google Canada Corporation
In the past month, Google Canada’s Managing Director Sabrina Geremia registered communications with Members of Parliament, Policy Advisors to the Prime Minister, Canadian Heritage Office and Members of the Senate, accounting for nine registered lobbying communications to discuss “broadcasting and media”.
On October 14th, Colin McKay, head of Public Policy and Government Relations for Google Canada, appeared before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC) as a witness to share their position on Bill C-18. McKay argues that the bill will not meet the government’s intended objective to support Canada’s local journalism industry. Instead, Google has argued that the Bill C-18 will lead to an increase in misinformation because it will reduce the access to legitimate news sources, and it could also lead to a link-tax. (The Canadian Heritage Committee denies this, saying they will not assign a “value” for clicks or links. )
To support their lobbying efforts, Google has commissioned Abacus Data to conduct a national public opinion survey to explore perceptions and views around Bill C-18. Ottawa criticized Google for their survey and stated that they are attempting to avoid accountability.
Google Canada Corporation
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-04 | Martin Champoux, Member of Parliament for Drummond House of Commons | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-04 | Fritz-Lionel Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Ben Chin, Senior Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Brian Clow, Deputy Chief of Staff Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Oz Jungic, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-13 | Thomas Owen Ripley, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-19 | Scott Tannas, Senator for Alberta Senate of Canada | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-19 | Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH) Thomas Owen Ripley, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-19 | Peter Julian, Member of Parliament for New Westminster—Burnaby House of Commons Jagmeet Singh, Member of Parliament for Burnaby South House of Commons | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-20 | Leo Housakos, Senator for Québec Senate of Canada | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-20 | Julie Miville-Dechêne, Senator for Québec Senate of Canada | Broadcasting, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
| 2022-10-24 | Fritz-Lionel Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Broadcasting, Justice and Law Enforcement, Media | Sabrina Geremia, Managing Director |
Facebook Canada Ltd.
Garrick Tiplady (Managing Director) of Facebook Canada Ltd. registered communications with the Deputy Minister Canadian Heritage (PCH) Isabelle Mondou and Associate Assistant Deputy Minister (Cultural Affairs) Owen Ripley to discuss “industry”. Following suit, Tiplady also noted communications with Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Simon Kennedy and lastly Member of Parliament Rachel Thomas to discuss “industry.” All three lobbying efforts were to discuss “industry” which is not surprising considering that Facebook has warned the Liberal government about Bill C-18 and revenue sharing with news publishers.
On October 21st Facebook’s blog post revealed that they were not invited by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to appear as a witness for the study of the Online News Act (Bill C-18). Later on October 28th, the Standing Committee of Canadian Heritage invited Meta to appear and share their position on Bill C-18. Following a heated exchange, Meta emphasized that if the bill passed it could require them to reconsider whether they will continue to share news content on Facebook in Canada. The heritage department did state they are open to revising the bill and that they will continue to meet with the platform.
Facebook Canada Ltd. Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-07 | Isabelle Mondou, Deputy Minister Canadian Heritage (PCH) Owen Ripley, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister (Cultural Affairs) Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Industry | Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director, Canada |
| 2022-10-19 | Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director, Canada |
| 2022-10-21 | Rachael Thomas, Member of Parliament (Lethbridge) House of Commons | Industry | Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director, Canada |
Netflix Services Canada ULC
Netflix has also outlined their concerns regarding Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. Netflix in particular has warned the committee that the bill could allow the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to serve Canadians content that they may not be interested in watching. In October, the President Reg Thompson registered communications with various members of the Canadian Heritage Office where “arts and culture, broadcasting and consumer issues” were discussed . Following suit, Thompson registered communications with Senator Paula Simmons regarding the same subject matter.
Netflix Services Canada ULC Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-04 | Paula Simons, Senator Senate of Canada | Arts and Culture, Broadcasting, Consumer Issues | Reg Thompson, President |
| 2022-10-03 | Ron Ahluwalia, Director of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Canadian Heritage (PCH) Ashley Michnowski, Director of Communications Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Arts and Culture, Broadcasting, Consumer Issues | Reg Thompson, President |
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Amazon.com Sales and Amazon Foreign Holdings. In the last month, AFS has lobbied key offices, including the Canadian Heritage, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) and Finance Canada–all regarding “broadcasting”.
As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada. The increased discussion around Bill C-11 could help explain AFS’ lobbying efforts. Bill C-11 is in the Senate and has passed first reading.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-09-26 | Ron Ahluwalia, Directory of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Canadian (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022 – 09-28 | Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director I Broadcasting Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022 – 09-29 | Anthony Laporte, Director I Strategy and Outreach, Finance Canada (FIN) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022-10-27 | Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
Amazon Web Services
In comparison, Amazon Web Services is interested in promoting the digital economy and is meeting with multiple departments regarding Amazon Cloud and cloud-based services. In the past month, Amazon has met with several offices regarding privacy and access to information, science, and technology.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-05 | Colin Deacon, Senator Senate of Canada | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Leo Housakos, Senator Senate of Canada | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistance Deputy Minister I Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Innovation, Science and economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022 – 10 – 28 | Sony Perron, President Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales, President |
IBM Canada Ltd.
On October 12th, Dave McCann met with the Ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) and the National Research Council (NRC) to discuss “science and technology.”
On November 10th IBM announced a new partnership with Net Zero Atlantic –a new member of their IBM Sustainability Accelerator Program. The partners will work to create digital tools to help Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada make informed decisions regarding energy use, severe weather, and climate change.
IBM Canada Ltd. Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-12 | Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry House of Commons Mitch Davies, President National Research Council (NRC) Anson Duran, Senior Policy Advisor I Office of the Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Ian Foucher, Chief of Staff Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Dave McCann, President |
Microsoft Canada Inc.
Microsoft Canada’s President Chris Barry has registered nine communications over the past month to discuss “privacy and access to information, government procurement, industry, and national security”. Microsoft is not in the news, but they are focused on cybersecurity policy and policies around internet safety. This month they participated in the Government of Canada’s Get Cyber Safe Initiative to provide lessons on how to fight phishing.
Microsoft Canada Inc. Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-09-29 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-09-29 | Cory Pike, Chief of Staff Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-09-29 | Scott Jones, Executive Vice President Shared Services Canada (SSC) Catherine Luelo, Chief Information Officer of Canada Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Sony Perron, President Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Government Procurement | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-13 | Brian MacKay, Senior Policy Advisor Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Industry | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-13 | Rob Jamieson, Senior Advisor Public Safety | National Security/ Security | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-20 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Sicence and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-20 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-20 | Surdas Mohit, Officer Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Chris Barry, President |
| 2022-10-27 | David McGuinty, Member of Parliament House of Commons | National Security/Security | Chris Barry, President |
Oracle Canada
Oracle Canada lobbied the Chief Technology officer Shared Services Canada (SSC) Matt Davies regarding government procurement to seek opportunities related to innovating public service delivery. This meeting took place after the signing of four contracts this past September.
In September, Oracle Canada attained four government contracts with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, National Film Board, and Shared Services Canada. The listed contracts were related to utility software, storage, telecommunication consults and application software amassing a total cost of 1.4 million.
In the past 12 months, Oracle has lobbied the government on fourteen occasions.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-09-29 | Matt Davies, Chief Technology Officer Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Government Procurement | Kevin Tetreault |
In summary, Google, Netflix and Amazon have increased their October lobbying efforts in broadcasting and media in response to new legislation making its way through Parliament (Figure 2). Outside of registered lobbying communications, Google has also published public statements and commissioned a public opinion survey to gauge public sentiment. Aside from Facebook’s most recent blog post, many of the platforms have not lobbied as frequently nor have employed strategies as grand as Google. Ottawa has mentioned that they are willing to conduct more meetings with platforms, so we should continue to see more activity over the next few months.