Official Google Canada Blog

Canadian Actor Simu Liu named ambassador for Google Pixel 6

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Liu working on ad and social media projects to promote Google’s flagship smartphone

Google Canada has recruited film and TV star Simu Liu to act as the spokesperson for their latest smartphones, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Liu, fresh off his star-making role playing superhero Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, will now collaborate with Google to create content for Canadian audiences that celebrates the latest generation of Pixel smartphones, which launched in Canada on October 28. In the same way that Simu has helped spearhead conversations about representation in film and TV, Simu’s vision seamlessly lines up with Google’s values of helpfulness and inclusivity. Liu will now shoot a series of digital ad and social media spots that contextualize some of the new phones’ most interesting features in a style that puts Simu’s personality front and centre.

“In my industry, everyone tends to gravitate towards one way of communicating. But I think it’s time for me to make a change and shake things up with Google.” says Liu. “I’ve been trying out the Pixel 6 Pro for a couple weeks now, and I’m excited to share my thoughts on Pixel with the world.”

Born in China before moving to Canada at the age of five, Liu first gained acclaim on the CBC comedy series Kim’s Convenience. In both his acting career and personal life, Liu has broken barriers around Asian representation, serving as a champion for his community. Google Canada has identified Simu’s important role in the space of representation, making him a perfect fit for the Pixel 6.

“Simu Liu has captured the hearts of Canadians with his inspirational story and newfound stardom, and we’re excited to continue telling that story through the Pixel 6,”says Laura Pearce, Head of Marketing, Google Canada. "The Pixel 6 is our most progressive phone, bringing out what makes people unique and connecting them to those around them; perfectly aligned with the message that Simu is bringing to fans in Canada and across the world."

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a culmination of Google’s long-term investments in AI and machine learning, featuring its first System on a Chip (SoC), the Google Tensor. With the Pixel 6 being the first true all-Google phone inside and out, the powerful Google Tensor chip unlocks the full potential of the phone’s camera system, Android user interface and AI that Google is known for.

Google Tensor allows the Pixel 6 to adapt to each individual user and provide some of the most accommodating and inclusive features ever offered on a Pixel phone. This includes Real Tone technology, which uses camera tuning models and algorithms to help more accurately highlight the nuances and details of darker skin tones, and Live Translate, which combines Pixel’s speech recognition with Google’s translation capabilities to help users to communicate in languages other than their own across a number of applications².

Liu will film the new spots and social media content later this month, with the content beginning to appear in Canada and his social media channels (@simuliu) this holiday season. The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are now available on the Google Store.

1 Based on a survey conducted by Google using pre-production devices in early September 2021.

2 Not available in all languages or countries. Not available on all media or apps. See g.co/pixel/livetranslate for more information.

2021’s Top YouTube Videos had Canadians laughing, learning, Minecrafting and singing

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

As Canadians navigated their way through the ongoing pandemic and the country's gradual reopening, they turned to YouTube to connect with the world, gain new skills and share their passions.

This year's Top Canadian Creators, Top Breakout Creators and Shorts Rising Stars were all about comedy and learning. Breakthrough creators Kallmekris and Jeenie.Weenie found ways to make us laugh, while NileRed brought out our inquisitive side as we learned about all the ways that chemistry is cool. And many Canadians wanted to brush up on their English language skills turning to ENGLISH with James to get them there. Our love for Minecraft became apparent as aCookieGod and MrFudgeMonkeyz dug, built, and crafted their own virtual worlds for millions of viewers.

Top Canadian Creators

Top Canadian Breakout Creators

Kallmekris
aCookieGod
Girl With The Dogs
ENGLISH with James - engVid
Jason Fung

Canadian Shorts Creators - Rising Stars

When it came to Top Trending Videos, we saw viewers were hungry for excitement and a thrill after being cooped up at home, turning to creators like MrBeast who spent 50 hours buried underground in a glass coffin (not for the claustrophobic!) as one of his many elaborate stunts. We laughed together as we categorized our friends into game night stereotypes, sobbed together while rooting for Nightbirde, and collectively spent an afternoon with royalty sipping tea on top of an open bus through LA.

Sportsnet invites fans to 'Watch a Leafs Game with Steve Dangle' through new interactive livestream on YouTube

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

That’s why we’re thrilled to share that YouTube and Sportsnet have teamed up to bring even more hockey action to Canadians.
Throughout the 2021-2022 regular NHL season, hockey fans can now ‘Watch a Leafs Game with Steve Dangle’ every Saturday night on the Sportsnet YouTube channel. Viewers will also enjoy several only-on-YouTube features as part of the livestream, including the live chat feature and in-game polls, allowing fans to interact with the host and each other throughout the game. Fans who missed the livesteam will also be able to watch it back, any time on the Sportsnet YouTube channel.
Renowned by hockey fans for his exuberant reaction videos, and fresh weekly video series’ like Hat-Picks, Dang-Its, and Trade Trees, Sportsnet’s Steve Dangle has built a dedicated, loyal community of followers on YouTube like few other sports content creators. The debut of ‘Watch a Game with Steve Dangle’ throughout the 2021 NHL Playoffs generated nearly 5 million views on YouTube. This season, Watch a Leafs Game with Steve Dangle will air 23 times throughout the regular season, during every Saturday night Leafs game on Hockey Night in Canada on Sportsnet. All livestreams begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

GAME SCHEDULE

Saturday, Nov 20, Pittsburgh @ Toronto
Saturday, Dec 4, Toronto @ Minnesota
Saturday, Dec 11, Chicago @ Toronto
Saturday, Dec 18, Toronto @ Vancouver
Saturday, Jan 1, Toronto @ Seattle
Saturday, Jan 8, Toronto @ Colorado
Saturday, Jan 15, Toronto @ St. Louis
Saturday, Jan 22, NY Islanders @Toronto
Saturday, Jan 29, Toronto @ Detroit
Saturday, Feb 26, Detroit @ Toronto
Saturday, Mar 5, Vancouver @ Toronto
Saturday, Mar 19, Toronto @ Nashville
Saturday, April 2, Toronto @ Montreal
Saturday, April 9, Toronto @ Philadelphia
Saturday, April 16, Montreal @ Toronto
Saturday, April 22, Toronto @ Florida

HOW TO WATCH

Visit Sportnet’s YouTube channel on desktop, mobile or the YouTube TV app
Select the 'Watch a Leafs Game with Steve Dangle' playlist for a list of past and future games
Click ‘set a reminder’ for upcoming games to receive a notification when the livestream begins.

Posted by Soneeka Patel, Broadcast and Sport Partnerships Lead

GNI continues to work towards supporting Canadian journalism of all sizes

Friday, November 19, 2021

When we launched the Google News Initiative in 2018 with a mission of helping to create a sustainable landscape for journalism, the news industry and the world were in very different places. Now, more than three years later, we are reflecting back on what we’ve accomplished together with Canadian news organizations, nonprofits and journalists while at the same time deepening our commitment to helping newsrooms solve challenges.

Reporters and editors around the country told us that using technology to build digital journalism skills to adjust to the digital age and combating misinformation are critical priorities. That’s why we’ve expanded our News Lab trainings in Canada and have committed to training 5,000 journalists over the next three years on digital skills for the newsroom.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed increasing pressure on the business side of newsrooms, impacting their ability to cover essential stories for their communities. That led us to create the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, putting much-needed funding of $1.5 million into the hands of over 230 local Canadian newsrooms. The COVID-19 pandemic was also the impetus for the Support Local News campaign in the U.S. and Canada, which encouraged people to support their local paper.

In 2019, we held our first North American Innovation Challenge which supported four Canadian news organizations in understanding their communities and developing new publishing business models. And we’ve just announced the winners from our third North American Innovation Challenge, out of the 25 projects selected, 7 are with Canadian newsrooms. Winners include Energeticcity.ca, a local news organization in Northern BC, which will focus on helping rural media operators connect with their audiences, and Metroland, which will address the deficiency in news coverage of and for Indigenous people in Ontario.

Throughout, we strive to ensure that our work touches a diverse group of publishers and audiences. We have recently announced the Global News Equity Fund, a multi-million dollar commitment to driving transformational change with a focus on diversity and equity. The fund will provide direct financial support to news organizations that are owned by or serve underrepresented communities around the world, and it is our hope that it builds upon our existing work of supporting underrepresented publishers and communities.

We also developed the GNI Ad Transformation Lab, a program to support Canadian and American publishers serving underrepresented communities in their transition to digital. The first round of the Lab helped 28 Black and Latino publishers advance their digital businesses and build digital advertising capabilities required to achieve growth today. The application for the 2022 Ad Transformation Lab is now live. The application window will close on Monday, November 29 at 11:59 p.m. EST. We encourage news organizations and publishers who serve diverse and underrepresented communities in the United States and Canada to apply.

We recently made a conscious effort to broaden our support to focus on local and emerging news organizations. Publishers have shared with us that adapting their business models to digital is immensely difficult. So together with industry associations and thought leaders worldwide we are bringing the Digital Growth Program to Canada to help news organizations accelerate growth in advertising and reader revenue and strengthen their core foundations in audience development, product and data. The feedback we received from partners also encouraged us to grow our investment in our audience insight tools, including our recently launched, News Consumer Insights.

Additionally, we are supporting aspiring news entrepreneurs through efforts like our Startups Boot Camp, an 8 week program in partnership with LION publishing designed to help participants with hands-on coaching and support to launch or develop a news offering. Applications have just closed for this upcoming all-Canadian cohort, and we cannot wait to see the news products that this group brings to market.

We’ve also just announced The Data-Driven Reporting Project, a partnership between the GNI and the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. Medill will run The Data-Driven Reporting Project, which aims to address the inequality of resources for local newsrooms and freelancers when doing essential data-driven, investigative reporting. The project is committed to awarding $2 million to journalists working on document-based investigative projects that serve local and underrepresented communities throughout the United States and Canada. Learn more on how and when you can apply.

This is just a snapshot of our work. Over the last three years we’ve accomplished a lot, but there’s much more to do. Achieving a healthy, sustainable and diverse news industry isn’t something Google or any single entity can or should do alone. This is a shared responsibility across publishers, companies, governments, civic society and more. Today we remain as committed as we’ve always been to playing our role in supporting Canadian newsrooms of all sizes for years to come.

Posted by Mladen Raickovic, Head of Global Partnerships, Google Canada

Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society Selected for Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls Funding

Monday, November 8, 2021

Editor's Note:Ann Maje RaiderLiard Aboriginal Women’s SocietyLiard Aboriginal Women’s SocietyGoogle.org Impact Challenge for Women and GirlsVital VoicesEmpowerment:Indigenous Women-Led:Paradigm shift:Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and GirlsEditor's note: More about the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girlslaunched in MarchVital VoicesProject Everyonefour key criteriathis website link

Our Shared Responsibility: YouTube’s response to the Government’s proposal to address harmful content online

Friday, November 5, 2021

The Government of Canada is drafting legislation to address “Harmful Content Online” and we are committed to helping them achieve that objective. Everyone deserves to feel safe online. At YouTube we feel a deep responsibility to keep our users safe and remove content that violates our policies. Part of that responsibility includes working together with governments and other stakeholders to get regulatory frameworks right.

It has been encouraging to see so many voices contribute to the government’s consultation, and transparency around this issue is incredibly important. That's why, like so many others, we are taking the step of publicly releasing our submission made to the Government of Canada. You can read our entire submission here.

YouTube has existing, robust policies in place for content hosted on our platform, including prohibitions on hate speech, terrorist content, nudity, harassment and incitement to violence. Through the Global Internet Forum to Combat Terrorism (GIFCT) and the Technology Coalition we work closely with government partners around the world to tackle illegal content online. We understand the calls for increased transparency and it is why we publish quarterly reports of how YouTube deals with content that violates our Community Guidelines. There are more than 20,000 people across YouTube and Google working to tackle abuse of our platforms and keep our users safe. You can read more about our approach to moderating content online here. We are committed to sharing our experiences and expertise to offer constructive recommendations to the Canadian government as it develops this new regime.

Our starting point is that we believe the same standards should apply to expression in online and offline environments. As currently drafted in the Government’s proposal, what is legal to say offline may not be permissible to share online. We believe it is critical that content regulated by the proposed framework be precisely defined and limited to illegal content in order to avoid undermining access to information; restricting the exchange of ideas and viewpoints that are necessary in a democratic society; and creating a legal framework that could be used to censor political speech in the future.

There are aspects of the Government’s proposal that could be vulnerable to abuse and lead to over removal of legitimate content. Some categories of content, such as defamation, are highly dependent on context and require nuanced decision making. We need to take the time to properly review and assess these types of content. The government’s proposal contains a provision that would require platforms to take down user-flagged content within 24 hours. YouTube receives hundreds of thousands of content flags on a daily basis. While many are good-faith attempts to flag problematic content, large numbers of them represent mere disagreement with views expressed in legitimate content or are inaccurate. As pointed out by Emily Laidlaw and Darryl Carmichael, from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law, user-submitted flags can be used as a tool to harass and infringe on the expression of others, and would “disproportionately impact marginalized, racialized and intersectional groups.” In other words, the proposal could harm the diverse voices we hope will thrive on YouTube.

We act rapidly in responding to user flags; however, it’s essential to strike the right balance between speed and accuracy. User flags are best utilized as “signals” of potentially violative content, rather than definitive statements of violations. In Q2 2021, 17.2M videos were flagged by users. In that same period, we removed over 6.2M videos for violating our Community Guidelines, and of those removed, 296,454 were first flagged by users.

We’re also strongly recommending that the legislation does not impose a requirement for proactive monitoring —a system where content is pre-emptively scanned for potentially offensive material before it can be posted. The European Union has already taken a strong stand against proactive monitoring. The EU Commission stated that requiring monitoring “could disproportionately limit users’ freedom of expression and freedom to receive information, and could burden service providers excessively and thus unduly interfere with their freedom to conduct a business.” Imposing proactive monitoring obligations could result in the suppression of lawful expression (potentially including content that is intended to educate and inform the public about societal challenges) and would be out of step with international democratic norms.

We appreciate the opportunity to share our submission with the Government and with Canadians. Many have voiced concerns with the proposal and while we share some of those concerns, we also believe that there is a path forward. We’re at the table, ready to work hand-in-hand with the government, civil society, and Canadians on this critical issue. We all deserve to feel and be safe online.

Posted by Jeanette Patell, Head of Canada Government Affairs & Public Policy at YouTube

Meet the Canadian Artists and Producers Joining the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Earlier this year, we introduced the inaugural #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund Artist Class of 2021. In doing so, we had one goal: Amplify Black voices on YouTube. To accomplish this mission, we provided the participating artists with the following:

Dedicated partner support from YouTube
Seed funding invested into the development of their channels
The opportunity to participate in training and networking programs focused on production, fan engagement, and wellbeing

As we shared back in July, the inaugural class achieved incredible feats on our platform, far outperforming any expectations. From Mariah The Scientist’s exclusive live set in support of NIVA, to Rexx Life Raj, Joy Oladokun, and Tkay Maidza taking center stage at YouTube’s annual Brandcast event, and every success in between. We want to thank each and every one of these individuals for bringing so much energy and passion to the program and for sharing the power of their music with fans around the world.
As we celebrate the success of these artists, today we’re excited to grow and reaffirm our commitment to Black musical excellence by announcing the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022. Expanding on our commitment, this new Class will not only include songwriters and producers, but we are also expanding the cohort to include music creators from the UK and Canada.
The Class of 2022 includes one producer, and three artists from Canada, who help demonstrate the passion, energy and talent of Black music creators in our country. Joining the songwriter and producer cohort is Toronto-based music producer WondaGurl, whose credits already include hits from artists like Jay-Z, Drake and Rihanna. The musicians joining our artist cohort include rapper NorthSideBenji, from Brampton; Savannah Ré, an R&B singer from Toronto, and Liza, a singer-songwriter from Toronto.
These artists and producers will join 50 others as part of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Class of 2022. For the first time ever, they will have the opportunity to come together to co-write and collaborate.
We’re also honored to introduce Hip Hop ICON and the genre's most notable storyteller, Slick Rick, as the inaugural mentor member of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2022. In this capacity, Slick Rick will play an additional role, sharing his wisdom and experience with fellow grant recipients within educational and networking programs for the class.
These artists, songwriters, and producers — from the United States, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, and now, the United Kingdom and Canada — speak to the vastness of the pool of Black genius. Limitless in genre, identity, talent, innovation, and creativity, their voices and the music they make encapsulate the global experience of Black people–past, present, and future.
Please meet the the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022:
#YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2022

Azawi (Kampala, Uganda), Barkaa (Barkindji Nation, Western NSW), Blanco Brown (Atlanta, Georgia, United States), Bree Runway (East London, England, United Kingdom), Budjerah (Fingal Head, Australia), Cico P (Jacksonville, Texas, United States), Cimafunk (Pinar del Rio, Cuba), CKay (Anambra, Nigeria), Dijon (Ellicott City, Maryland, United States), Elaine (Pretoria, South Africa), EST Gee (Louisville, Kentucky, United States), Jonathan Ferr (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Jords (Croydon, England, United Kingdom), Kadhja Bonet (Long Beach, California, United States), Kamille (London, England, United Kingdom), Liniker (São Paulo, Brazil), Liza (Toronto, Canada), midwxst (Carmel, Indiana, United States), Monaleo (Houston, Texas, United States), Nija (Union City, New Jersey, United States), NorthSideBenji (Toronto, Canada), NSG (London, England, United Kingdom), Omah Lay (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), Rico Dalasam (São Paulo, Brazil), Savannah Ré (Toronto, Canada), Tai Verdes (Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, CA), Tamera (Kent, England), Tasha & Tracie (São Paulo, Brazil), Teezo Touchdown (Beaumont, Texas, United States), whiterosemoxie (Detroit, Michigan, United States) and one of the globes most legendary voices in hip hop, the legendary Slick Rick The Ruler (from The Bronx, New York United States).
For more information on the Artist Class, click here.
#YouTubeBlack Voices Songwriter & Producer Class of 2022

Cadenza (London, England, United Kingdom), Compass (North London, England, United Kingdom), Dallas Woods (Wyndham, West Australia, Australia), Dj Lag (Johannesburg, South Africa), Gloria Kaba (Irvington, New Jersey, United States), HARV (Kansas City, Missouri, United States), IamTash (Boston, Massachusetts, United States), Jay Versace (Pleasantville, New Jersey, United States), jetsonmade (Columbia, South Carolina, United States), Kobie Dee (South Sydney, Bidjigal Land, Australia), Léo Casa 1 (São Paulo, Brazil), Major League DJz (Johannesburg, South Africa), Mu540 (Praia Grande, São Paulo, Brazil), Nova Wav (Tallahassee, Florida / Atlanta, Georgia, United States), OG Parker (Atlanta, Georgia, United States), P.Priime (Lagos, Nigeria), RDD (Paulo Afonso, Bahia, Brazil), Rodriguinho (Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil), Telz (Lagos, Nigeria), Walshy Fire (Miami, Florida, United States), WondaGurl (Toronto, Canada), YAOB (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
For more information on the Songwriter & Producer Class, click here.

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