Google, Meta threaten to limit services in Canada over news bill

Proposed legislation would force tech giants to pay Canadian news publishers for their content.

Google and Meta would withdraw access to news articles in Canada if legislation compelling internet companies to pay news publishers is passed, company executives have told Canadian legislators.

Canada’s proposed legislation would force platforms – such as Google’s parent Alphabet and Facebook’s parent Meta Platforms – to negotiate commercial deals and pay Canadian news publishers for their content, part of a broader global trend to make tech firms pay for news.

Google may be forced to remove links to news articles found in Canadian search results if the bill passes, its vice president of news, Richard Gingras, said in testimony to a Senate committee on Wednesday, citing an “uncapped financial liability” if it had to pay publishers for linking to their sites.

Meta would also end the availability of news content in Canada if the bill is passed as currently drafted, said Rachel Curran, the company’s head of public policy in Canada.

Ottawa’s proposal is similar to a ground-breaking law that Australia passed in 2021, which also triggered threats from Google and Facebook to curtail their services. Both eventually struck deals with Australian media companies after amendments to the legislation were offered.