On March 19, 2023, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) alerted the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA)of a motion set to be addressed by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage at their March 20, 2023 meeting, with the potential to significantly impede association advocacy efforts.

The motion, as drafted and presented by MP Chris Bittle, (St. Catherines) Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, would compel social media giants Alphabet/Google and Facebook/Meta to provide all third-party communications, including emails, texts, presentations and research they may have sponsored or received in relation to any government legislation since January 1, 2020. It also would require a list of all third parties that received funding from these companies for advocacy, engagement awareness and research with respect to Canadian regulation, since this same time.

The CCC’s President and CEO, the Honourable Perrin Beatty, sent an urgent letter to the Committee on March 19, 2023 outlining his alarm at the broad scope of these provisions, stressing they represent “a fishing operation” and “pose a serious privacy threat to Canadians”. He also cautioned that if passed, the motion could “chill the legitimate work of thousands of associations, chambers of commerce etc.”

The CFA echoed these concerns in a message to the Committee Clerk the morning of March 20, 2023. In her missive, the CFA’s GR Lead, Marcelline Riddell, informed the Clerk that the impact of this motion on national industry associations, their members and businesses, like the CFA, could be wide-ranging, costly and significantly detrimental. She requested more information on the motion itself, adequate opportunity to assess the potential impact on the Canadian franchise sector, an audience with the Committee to discuss the issue.

These advocacy efforts proved successful, as Committee members voted to support a diluted version of the motion which includes none of the third-party provisions outlined above. Bill C-18 is now before the Senate.

Riddell is also scheduled to meet with CCC representatives to review aligned advocacy issues and identify areas where we can continue to work together for further positive outcomes.

CFA members operating in the MP Bittle’s riding are encouraged to engage with him about their businesses and how the CFA supports them in contributing jobs and growth to the region. To learn how you can become involved in CFA’s advocacy work, please contact CFA’s Marcelline Riddell, Senior Manager, Government Relations at mriddell@cfa.ca.