Ottawa won’t change Online News Act, despite U.S. objections
The government says it has no plans to amend or repeal the Online News Act which has resulted in Meta blocking news in Canada since 2023
Martin Patriquin
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Martin Patriquin.
Michael Sabia is ready to kick Ottawa’s ass
Five years ago, when we were all wearing face masks, perpetual CEO Michael Sabia went to Ottawa to serve as deputy to former finance minister Chrystia Freeland. The concerns surrounding his appointment—the ego, the alleged temper, the inability to play nice with others—were mostly for naught; rather, Sabia helped institute some of the more consequential policies of the last decade...
Steven Guilbeault is back to haunt Big Tech. Or is he?
Four years ago, Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault put Big Tech on notice: the days of running roughshod over the country’s democracy were over. Under his leadership, the Facebooks, Googles and Twitters of the world would be compelled to shut off their respective spigots of misinformation, hate and exploitation under threat of “very, very important fines” dispensed by a government...
A pipeline through Quebec could finally happen. But there’s a problem
MONTREAL — There has never been a more opportune time to build a pipeline through Quebec. The province, long the place where pipeline projects have gone to die, has had a whiplash-like attitude adjustment. In February, Quebec Premier François Legault indicated he would likely greenlight the very natural gas project he scuppered in 2021. That same month, a poll indicated...
Mark Carney’s views on Quebec’s language law could stir an angry, silent minority
Mark Carney was at a campaign in Vaughan, Ont., when he casually upended over half a century of received wisdom when it comes to stumping for votes in neighbouring Quebec. “Do we have rights in Canada, or not? A right is a right is a right,” he said in response to a question about his views on language legislation in...
Legault would likely now support major LNG project in Quebec, says Fitzgibbon
Quebec Premier François Legault would likely support new oil and gas infrastructure in the province that would transform Alberta’s natural gas industry, Pierre Fitzgibbon, the former minister who oversaw the failed 2021 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the province, has told The Logic.
François Legault fell right into Donald Trump’s tariff trap
Quebec Premier François Legault has long blamed immigrants for the housing crunch, the health-care crisis, the proliferation of crime and the alleged collapse of the province’s dominant language, among other societal ailments. So you might forgive him when he found comfort, succour and political opportunity in Donald Trump’s recent threat.
The big problem with Quebec’s $4.5-billion plan to boost productivity
In a country where productivity and prosperity are hot topics, Quebec often takes a beating. Despite decades of major interventions by the province to reverse the trend, it remains stubbornly less productive and less prosperous than neighbouring Ontario and much of the OECD. So now the provincial government has a new plan—and $4.5 billion to spend over the next three...
Canada readies probe into Russia-linked Tenet Media
The framework for a parliamentary investigation into Tenet Media, the Canadian-owned company that was allegedly paid by Russian nationals to produce pro-Russia propaganda, could be in place as early as next Thursday, The Logic has learned.
Ottawa sitting on request for sanctions against China-based makers of surveillance gear
Three human rights groups say the Liberal government is stonewalling their request for targeted sanctions against four China-based surveillance companies, despite receiving a report documenting how the firms’ technology facilitates torture, sexual abuse and forced labour of China’s Uyghur minority.
As Bill 96 takes effect, Quebec businesses begin ‘quiet leaving’
Just over two years ago, the Quebec government gave itself more powers to police the language spoken in the halls and flowing through the digital networks of the businesses in the province. That includes the tech sector, source of about five per cent of Quebec’s GDP. The law itself is black and white, allowing the state, among other things, to...
The divestiture campaign at McGill and beyond is bound to fail. Maybe that’s the point
The protesters entrenched on McGill University’s campus have a straightforward demand: cease investing in Israeli companies as well as those that do business in or with Israel, and unload any existing investment as well. Until then, we are staying put.
The EV movement hits a roadblock in Quebec
The good news, EV owners would-be and otherwise, is that you can ignore the haters. While it seems everyone is saying the electric-car project has gone into the ditch, with The Wall Street Journal serving as pessimist–in–chief, the EV revolution continues apace. Consider this: EVs more than tripled their worldwide market share between 2020 and 2022. U.S. sales of EVs...
Meta, child-safety advocates cautiously welcome Online Harms Act
Though they aren’t named in the legislation, the likes of Google, Meta and Twitter—not to mention Pornhub—loom large in the Online Harms Act, the federal government’s attempt to rein in hate speech and illegal pornography.