OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Government of Canada announced Wednesday that it will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram, in response to Meta’s decision to block access to news content on their social platforms in as part of a temporary test.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government decision at a news conference.
Canada’s move is the latest installment in a spat that began after the Trudeau administration proposed a bill that would force tech companies to pay publishers to link to or reuse their content online.
Meta promised at the time to block Canadian news content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms to respond to Canada’s recently passed online news law.
Rodriguez said Meta’s decision was “unreasonable” and “irresponsible” and therefore Canada would stop advertising on its platforms.
The annual report on government spending shows that the federal government spent just over C$11.4 million (about $8.6 million) on advertising on Facebook and Instagram in 2021-22.
Google also promised to start blocking Canadian news when the bill takes effect in six months.
Rodriguez said the government is in talks with the company and believes their concerns will be addressed by the regulations that will come to implement the bill.