Frustrated by the lack of answers to their questions about Google Canada’s news blocking, federal lawmakers forced the swearing-in of the company boss in the middle of a committee meeting on Friday.
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Sabrina Geremia, Google’s vice president and director of Google Canada, took part in a two-hour figure skating demonstration after the company confirmed the news blocking for 1.2 million Canadians would end next week.
“It’s disgusting what we’re seeing today,” said Liberal Chris Bittle. “In my seven years in office I have never seen a witness sworn in mid testimony because the committee members do not believe you are honest Ms. Geremia.”
“You act like you don’t know anything. If that’s true, I think your shareholders should be outraged, but I think you’re backing down,” he added to his colleagues on the Heritage Standing Committee.
The blocking of Canadian news on its platform, which began in February, was just a “test” conducted “in full transparency,” stressed Ms Geremia, who was present via videoconference on several occasions.
“We’re literally in the process of gathering information to understand what impact C-18 would have,” she said.
Google has “tested” news blocking as a bargaining chip against the Trudeau government’s C-18 bill, which would force the web giants to return some of the profits made at the expense of Canadian media by forcing deals to be signed.
Hardly any concrete answers trickled through during the committee meeting, which was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed to Friday due to technical problems.
Eagerly awaited, Ms. Geremia and her colleague Jason Kee, Public Policy Manager at Google Canada, particularly pleaded for the “little time” to prepare before their performance.
This is also one of the reasons given for not providing a list of Canadian media affected by Google’s policy ahead of the meeting, as requested by committee members. Google also didn’t provide an explanation for the absence of several of its US-based executives, despite being invited to the show.
Among the unanswered questions, Ms Geremia avoided saying whether Google had used users’ personal data to implement its policy and dodged many questions about exactly who the group was or who decided the strategy.
Incredulous at the empty phrases, the members of the committee more and more kindly agreed to compel the Witnesses to take an oath of allegiance, a procedure reserved for rare occasions.
“As President, I have to say that I have difficulties when the questions are clear enough […] and they are not being answered,” said Hedy Fry, chair of the committee.
In pain and misery, liberal Anthony Housefather managed to get Ms Geremia to admit that Google’s director of global affairs and general counsel, Kent Walker, knew about the controversial policy.
Even the conservatives, who are cold on Bill C-18, are still frustrated.
“Perception is reality and you missed your chance,” said curator Martin Shields.