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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 7, 20 20 | 20 Pierre-Elliott Levasseur President Phillip Crawley Publisher and CEO Lyne Robitaille President and Editor Bob Cox Publisher James C. Irving, Vice President Jonathon J.L. Kennedy President and CEO Rick O'Connor President and CEO Andrew MacLeod CEO Brian Myles CEO Lyne Robitaille President and Editor John Boynton CEO, Torstar An urgent message to the Government of Canada from the publishers of Canada's major newspapers Around the world, governments are moving to correct an historical inequality that dates back to the birth of digital media platforms. In April 2020 alone, Australia and France both announced plans to make sure Google and Facebook pay their fair share, instead of exploiting tax loopholes while making billions of dollars off the back of original content producers. We, the undersigned publishers representing the vast majority of Canadian newspapers, call on Ottawa to follow the example of France and Australia. The situation is urgent, with media companies suffering huge advertising revenue declines because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Other governments recognize the need for speedy intervention. Both France and Australia have set deadlines to have mandatory solutions in place by July. That means paying for copyrighted content and sharing the advertising dollars and data that flow from it. We encourage the Federal Government to follow the advice of its own expert panel set up to review the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts, which recommended similar measures. The model exists. The need is clear. Let's apply those principles of fairness in Canada, and do it now. Respectfully,