In June 2024, Google filed an application to be exempt from the Online News Act. The CRTC held public consultations on the application and this week issued its first decision under the Online News Act Application and Exemption, granting a five-year exemption from the Act to Google.

This decision will pave the way for Google to contribute $100 million annually to Canadian news organizations through the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC). The platform must pay the $100 million within 60 days of the CRTC’s decision. The CJC will then distribute the funds equitably to eligible Canadian news organizations and report back to the CRTC annually.

The Online News Act, formerly Bill C-18, received Royal Assent on June 22, 2023, and came into effect on December 19, 2023. The Act aims to ensure that online platforms that make Canadian news content available fairly compensate Canadian news organizations.

Under the Act, the CRTC is responsible for implementing the government’s regulations, which include allowing online platforms to request an exemption from being required to bargain with individual news organizations if they reach an agreement with an organization that represents a broad range of Canadian news organizations. The CRTC is required to hold a public consultation on any exemption request received.

So far, the CRTC has launched four public consultations: one on the mandatory bargaining process, undue preference and information gathering; another on the Cost Recovery Regulations; the third on Google’s exemption application; and the fourth on the proposed Code of Conduct for bargaining under the Act.

The CJC is a federally incorporated nonprofit organization created for the purpose of distributing funds allocated under the Online News Act.