Four Canadian companies, including Postmedia, Torstar Corporation, Cogeco, and Quebecor, have halted their advertising on Facebook and Instagram after Meta decided to block news access on its platforms.

Meta's move came after the Canadian parliament passed the 'Online News Act', also termed Bill C-18, prompting online platforms providing news to pay fair compensation to local news publishers. The 'Online News Act' received royal assent on 22 June and is expected to come into force by the end of the year. With its aim to subsidise the journalism industry, the bill has already prompted a similar response from Google-parent Alphabet as it has from META, and it is expected that all stakeholders will face significant hurdles.