Admittedly, there is something deeply comforting to see Australia denounce the shameful blackmail of Facebook to evade a binding code of conduct.
Their Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, put it well: “They may be changing the world, that doesn’t mean they are running it. ”
However, this confrontation which is going around the world once again shines the spotlight on the ambitions of the Trudeau government vis-à-vis the GAFAM.
The Minister of Heritage, Steven Guilbeault, did not have to be asked to denounce as being “gravely irresponsible” the decision of Facebook to boycott the Australian media in the hope of evading any obligation to negotiate in good faith. media royalties bled dry by the dominance of these digital giants.
The beauty of it is that Facebook has gone too far and at the same time blocked sites like civil security in the midst of forest fires, public health in the midst of a vaccination campaign.
What about Canada?
Now that Canada has openly shown solidarity with Australia, will the Trudeau government have the courage to go this far?
The question is all the more relevant given that Minister Guilbeault made no secret of his wanting to draw inspiration from the Australian model to force the hand of GAFAM.
Facebook’s arrogance has certainly convinced many countries to redouble their efforts to bring them down. Help from the US government to break this unhealthy monopoly would also be welcome.
But for the time it has been talked about, the time will come when Canada will have to decide whether it has the courage to go it alone, without the protection of a broad international coalition.
Will Canadians stand in solidarity with their local and national media in this announced showdown?
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