Meta Says News Sharing May Return to Canada
The company blocked news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada in 2023 in response to the federal Online News Act.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Media
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Meta has blocked news content on its platforms in Canada since 2023, after the federal government passed Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which requires Meta and Google to pay Canadian publishers for content shared on their platforms. Meta Canada's head of public policy, Rachel Curran, said Canadians will very likely regain the ability to share news on Instagram and Facebook.
Why it matters
The block has removed news links from two of the country's most widely used social platforms, affecting how Canadians find and share news. Meta argues that publishers voluntarily post links to its platforms and that the law therefore forces payment for something that benefits publishers, while the company earns revenue from advertising and subscriptions.
The news block has run since 2023, according to the extraction, and no payment amounts or revenue figures were disclosed. The timeline for any return of news sharing remains unconfirmed.
The players
Meta
Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, two major social media platforms that have been central to the dispute over news payments in Canada.
Rachel Curran
Rachel Curran is Meta Canada's head of public policy, who said Canadians will very likely regain news sharing on Instagram and Facebook.
The details
Meta blocks news content from appearing on Facebook and Instagram in Canada in response to Bill C-18. Meta argues that publishers voluntarily post links to its platforms, while the law requires Meta and Google to pay Canadian publishers for sharing their content.
Timeline
2023: Meta begins blocking news on its platforms in Canada.
November 5, 2026: Meta says news sharing could return to Canada.
Market Landscape
Bill C-18, the Online News Act, requires Meta and Google to pay Canadian publishers for content shared on their platforms, making Canada a leading test case for compensating news outlets from platform revenue. Meta's decision to block news rather than pay shows how the dispute has shaped its approach to news content in the country.
Canadians currently cannot share or view news links on Facebook and Instagram, which changes how they access local and national reporting on those platforms. If news sharing resumes, users would regain that access, but the terms and timing are not yet confirmed.
The takeaway
The block shows how a platform can withdraw news from its service when a law requires payment for content, and the outcome of Canada's experiment will matter for other countries weighing similar rules. Readers should watch for any agreement that restores news sharing on Meta's platforms in Canada.
What happens next
Meta says news sharing could return to Canada on November 5, 2026, though the extraction does not describe the conditions for that return.
Further reading
For more on how platforms and publishers are negotiating over news revenue, see Media coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dailyhive.
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