The Minister of Canadian Heritage announced that the Trudeau government will no longer purchase ad space from Meta — but the Liberal Party might continue to do so.
In the latest development since the Liberals bungled Bill C-18, a panicked Pablo Rodriguez flung his arms around for twenty minutes while lamenting over the fact that Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — isn’t messing around.
“Meta is not talking to us,” Rodriguez said.
The Liberals passed the Online News Act (Bill C-18) last month. Once the legislation comes into effect, the bill will force tech giants to pay designated Canadian news outlets for clicks that direct people to their platforms.
Days later, Meta said they would be blocking Canadians from accessing news articles to comply with Liberal Minister Rodriguez’s act.
Google subsequently followed suit, saying that Canadian news outlets will no longer show up in search results and Google News will cease to operate in the country.
On Wednesday, the censorship czar Rodriguez responded to the latest twist by mustering what appears a feeble bluff.
“Facebook has decided to be unreasonable, irresponsible, and started blocking news,” he said.
“This is why today, we are announcing the government of Canada will be suspending advertising on Facebook and Instagram.”
Asked if the Liberal Party will also stop purchasing ad space from Facebook, as they regularly spend thousands of dollars’ worth on a monthly basis, Rodriguez wouldn’t commit.
“I’m speaking on behalf of the government,” he said.
He added, “The government is one thing, the party is another.”
Later, a reporter asked Rodriguez if he has calculated how much money news outlets stand to lose if Meta and Google follow through with their threats to blocks news from Canadians.
Rodriguez punted, saying he hopes to come to a resolution.
Rodriguez further said he hopes Canadians and Canadian companies will “be inspired” by their government’s leadership.
