Online News Act (S.C. 2023, c. 23)

Marginal note:Definitions

• 2 (1) The following definitions apply in this Act.

  Commission

  Commission means the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. (Conseil)

  covered agreement

  covered agreement means, as applicable,

  • (a) an agreement that is entered into as a result of bargaining sessions referred to in paragraph 19(1)(a) or mediation sessions referred to in paragraph 19(1)(b); or

  • (b) an arbitration panel’s decision that is deemed to be an agreement under section 42. (accord assujetti)

  digital news intermediary

  digital news intermediary means an online communications platform, including a search engine or social media service, that is subject to the legislative authority of Parliament and that makes news content produced by news outlets available to persons in Canada. It does not include an online communications platform that is a messaging service the primary purpose of which is to allow persons to communicate with each other privately. (intermédiaire de nouvelles numériques)

  eligible

  eligible in relation to a news business, means that the business is designated under subsection 27(1). (admissible)

  entity

  entity includes a corporation or a trust, partnership, fund, joint venture or any other unincorporated association or organization. (entité)

  Indigenous news outlet

  Indigenous news outlet means an undertaking or any distinct part of an undertaking whose primary purpose is to produce news content and that

  • (a) is operated by an individual who belongs to an Indigenous group, community or people; and

  • (b) produces news content primarily for Indigenous peoples. (média d'information autochtone)

  Indigenous peoples

  Indigenous peoples has the meaning assigned by the definition aboriginal peoples of Canada in subsection 35(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982. (peuples autochtones)

  Minister

  Minister means the Minister of Canadian Heritage or, if another federal minister is designated under section 5, that minister. (ministre)

  news business

  news business means an individual or entity that operates a news outlet in Canada. (entreprise de nouvelles)

  news content

  news content means content — in any format, including an audio or audiovisual format — that reports on, investigates or explains current issues or events of public interest and includes such content that an Indigenous news outlet makes available by means of Indigenous storytelling. (contenu de nouvelles)

  news outlet

  news outlet means an undertaking or any distinct part of an undertaking whose primary purpose is to produce news content and includes an Indigenous news outlet or an official language minority community news outlet. (média d’information)

  official language minority community

  official language minority community means English-speaking communities in Quebec and French-speaking communities outside Quebec. (communauté de langue officielle en situation minoritaire)

  official language minority community news outlet

  official language minority community news outlet means an undertaking or any distinct part of an undertaking whose primary purpose is to produce news content and that produces news content primarily for an official language minority community. (média d’information de communauté de langue officielle en situation minoritaire)

  operator

  operator means an individual or entity that, through any means, operates a digital news intermediary. (exploitant)

• Marginal note:Making available of news content

  (2) For the purposes of this Act, news content is made available if

  • (a) the news content, or any portion of it, is reproduced; or

  • (b) access to the news content, or any portion of it, is facilitated by any means, including an index, aggregation or ranking of news content.