Liberal Minister and censorship czar Pablo Rodriguez lashed out at Facebook on Thursday, saying their response to Bill C-18 is why Canadians need Bill C-18.

On Thursday, the Liberal’s Online News Bill C-18 passed, meaning that tech giants will soon have to pay news outlets for clicks that direct people to their platforms.

It’s the second time this year the Trudeau Liberals have been accused of censorship. Earlier this year, Bill C-11 was passed, requiring streaming services like Netflix and Youtube to hit certain equity-related quotas.

Meta responded to Bill C-18’s passing by announcing that Canadians will no longer be able to access news articles through its platforms. However, as of June 23, users haven’t been blocked from the news.

Minister Rodriguez later responded to the development, claiming that Meta’s reaction to his Bill is exactly why Canadians need it.

“Facebook knows very well that they have no obligations under the act right now. Following Royal Assent of Bill #C18, the Government will engage in a regulatory and implementation process,” he said.

Rodriguez added,  “If the Government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?

Of course, Canadians had been able to access news through Facebook and Instagram for as long as those platforms existed, and it’s never been easier. Canadians didn’t ask for help to access the news, but the Liberals seem to think they’re needed to make sure we get it.

Rodriguez has also 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.

On Thursday, Meta released a statement “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.” 

Meta’s statement added, “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.”

What’s Bill C-18?

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.