(Reuters) – Several Canadian companies and government agencies have stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram after Meta Platforms decided to stop news access on the apps over a law that requires payments to local news publishers.

The “Online News Act”, which was approved by the Canadian parliament and received a royal assent on June 22, prompted a similar response from Google-parent Alphabet.

Below is a list of companies that have paused advertising on Meta’s social media platforms:

Company Date Comment

Postmedia July 6 “There is no greater proof of the

critical need for this law at this

time than the actions taken upon its

passing. We hope to work together to

ensure that all parties can do what

the Online News Act allows for, to

bargain fairly, level the playing

field and preserve journalism in

Canada,” said CEO Andrew MacLeod.

Torstar July 6 “We vigorously object to Meta’s

Corporation unprecedented plans to block our

content on its platforms in protest

against the federal government’s

Online News Act (Bill C-18),” Neil

Oliver, CEO of the owner of Toronto

Star and Metroland Media Group,

said.

Cogeco July 5 “In support of this legislation and

the regulatory process that will

soon be launched for its

implementation, Cogeco, along with

many other industry members, has

decided to withdraw its advertising

investments from Meta platforms,”

Cogeco said.

Quebecor July 5 “Any move by Meta to circumvent

Canadian law, block news for its

users or discriminate against

Canadian media content on its

platforms, through its algorithms or

otherwise, cannot be tolerated,”

said Quebecor.

CBC/Radio-Cana July 5 “Access to news, a plurality of

da voices and a diversity of viewpoints

are all cornerstones of a healthy

democracy. We join other Canadian

media organizations that are calling

for Canadians’ access to news — all

news, from all outlets, both public

and private — to be protected,” said

CBC/Radio-Canada

Stingray Aug. 8 “We cannot tolerate Meta’s recent

decision to block news from Canadian

news media publishers and their

potential implications for Canadian

news content. As a result, we have

decided to pause our advertising on

Facebook and Instagram,” CEO Eric

Boyko said.

(Reporting by Tanya Jain and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Chavi Mehta; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shinjini Ganguli)

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