Canada’s government to stop Facebook and Instagram advertising after news block

Canada’s government will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram after parent firm Meta blocked access to news content as part of a temporary test.

Heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez announced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government’s decision at a press conference.

Canada’s move is the latest episode in a spat that started after Mr Trudeau’s administration proposed a Bill that would require technology companies to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.

Meta promised at the time to block Canadian news content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms to address Canada’s recently passed Online News Act.

Mr Rodriguez said the decision from Meta is “unreasonable” and “irresponsible” and as a result Canada will stop advertising on its platforms.

He said publishers are the ones deciding to post them on Facebook or Instagram.

“Unfortunately, the regulatory process is not equipped to make changes to the fundamental features of the legislation that have always been problematic, and so we plan to comply by ending news availability in Canada in the coming weeks,” he said.

The annual report on government spending shows the federal government spent just over 11.4 million Canadian dollars (around £6.8 million) advertising on Facebook and Instagram in 2021-2022.

Google has also promised to start blocking Canadian news when the Bill takes effect in six months.

Mr Rodriguez said the government is in talks with the company and believes its concerns will be managed by the regulations that will come to implement the Bill.