OTTAWA — The Conservative cabinet is considering a plan that would allow political parties to use the work of journalists in its political advertising without permission or compensation.
A cabinet document presented by Heritage Minister Shelly Glover would change the Copyright Act to give a politician, party or the people who work for them the power to use video, audio, photographs from news outlets.
The proposal is to create an exception for politicians inside the Act, and pass the changes as part of an upcoming budget bill.
News of the document, obtained by The Canadian Press, was first reported by CTV News.
It also notes that the proposal was put together very quickly, and runs counter to the government’s stated policy of not reviewing the Copyright Act until 2017.
In May, the major networks issued a letter to the political parties telling them they would refuse to carry any ads that used news content without permission.