Canadians will be blocked from accessing news articles on Facebook and Instagram after the Trudeau Liberals passed Bill C-18 on Thursday.

“Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act (Bill C-18) taking effect,” parent company Meta’s statement read. 

“We have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada.”

As previously reported by The Counter Signal, Bill C-18 will enable the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to force social media companies such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google, and possibly Twitter to pay Canadian news outlets for ad revenues generated by their content being shared and viewed.

Meta had previously threatened to block Canadians from accessing news if the Bill was ever passed. Now, they are making good on their promise.

Liberal Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez said the moves by tech companies to block news content was an attempt to “intimidate” Canadians.

“At the end of the day, all we’re asking the tech giants to do is compensate journalists when they use their work,” said Rodriguez.

Meta further said that Canadian users can still use its platforms for other purposes.

“The changes affecting news content will not otherwise impact Meta’s products and services in Canada. We want to assure the millions of Canadians on our platforms that they will always be able to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses and support their local communities.”