(OTTAWA) A bill to force big tech companies to financially compensate Canadian media for news content appearing on their platforms is back in the spotlight as BCE Inc. decided to cut 1,300 jobs, including 6% at Bell Media.

Bell’s executive vice president and chief legal and regulatory officer, Robert Malcolmson, raised concerns this week about Bill C-18, saying it won’t do what it’s supposed to if Companies like Google and Meta limit or block news article links on their sites.

Meta said this week it is blocking news for 1-5% of its 24 million Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram in a temporary test expected to last the majority of the month.

In response to the bill, Google blocked links to articles from various media outlets for about five weeks earlier this year for some Canadian users.

Mr. Malcolmson said Bell could not afford to wait for a resolution of the impasse before announcing its layoffs.

Bill C-18 awaits third reading in the Senate.

Companies mentioned in this article: (TSX: BCE)