Canada discusses return of news to Facebook with Meta as CUSMA review nears

The federal government says it is in talks with Meta about restoring news on Facebook as Canada and the U.S. prepare for a CUSMA review; the conversations relate to the Online News Act, which requires platforms to pay media outlets for news content.

The federal government says it is in discussions with Meta about the possibility of news returning to Facebook. Officials say these talks form part of ongoing Canada–U.S. conversations as a formal review of CUSMA approaches. The Online News Act became law in 2023 and requires large platforms to pay media outlets when they share or repurpose news content. Google reached an agreement with Canada in 2023 that included annual payments to news organizations; Meta removed news from its platforms instead. Key details: - The Online News Act, passed in 2023, requires platforms to pay media outlets for shared or repurposed news content. - In fall 2023, Google reached an agreement that allowed it to continue sharing Canadian news while making annual payments to news companies, reported as about $100 million. - Meta chose to remove news from Facebook and Instagram rather than enter payment arrangements under the act. - U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a congressional committee that the Online News Act is among trade irritants to be addressed before the CUSMA review, which formally begins in July. - Dominic LeBlanc is leading talks on Canada's side and officials say the substance of those discussions will not be made public. Summary: These discussions could affect whether Canadians regain access to news on Facebook and are tied to broader trade issues ahead of the CUSMA review. The government says it is willing to be flexible on elements of the Online News Act while maintaining the law's purpose to protect news providers. Undetermined at this time.