Guest: Raisa Patel, Ottawa Bureau

Google has announced plans to block all Canadian news content from its platforms and the ramifications are huge. The move is in response to the just-passed Online News Act, which would force platforms to strike deals with Canadian media publishers for sharing, previewing and directing users to online content. Some news organizations, including Torstar, lobbied Ottawa in favour of the legislation and have had deals in place with Google and Meta (who have said they will also block access to news on Facebook and Instagram), but Google’s move is a game changer with major implications.

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley.