Commentary Canada’s attempts to play the tough guy took some laughable turns last weekend as those leading the fight couldn’t have made it more clear that politicians need Facebook a lot more than it needs politicians.
The week began with a macho enough veneer. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez held a news conference in which—as a show of solidarity—he was joined by Martin Champoux, Bloc Quebecois Critic for Heritage, Arts and Culture, and the NDP’s Peter Julian, his party’s Heritage critic.
The purpose of their presentation was to fluff up their feathers, slap their thighs, beat their chests, and talk like good fellas in the face of the well-anticipated response from Meta and Google to Canada’s absurdly constructed Online News Act. Also known as Bill C-18, the act is designed to force the Big Tech companies to subsidize news organizations, primarily those that are failing to transition to the digital economy such as legacy newspapers….