Meta says news ‘very likely’ to return to its platforms in Canada

Meta says news could soon return to its platforms in Canada.

Speaking to Politico reporter Mickey Djuric, Meta Canada head of public policy Rachel Curran said it’s “very likely” that Canadians will be able to share news once again on Instagram and Facebook. She said she’s optimistic a resolution will come through ongoing Canada-U.S. trade talks.

🚨 NEW: Meta hopes to restore news on Facebook/Insta in Canada by year’s end.

Meta Canada’s Rachel Curran says it will “very likely” be resolved thru Canada-U.S. trade talks. “If we are able to reach agreement post-midterms … the news stuff will be dealt with as part of that.”

— Mickey Djuric (@MickeyDjuric) November 4, 2026

Meta has been blocking news on its platforms in Canada since 2023 in response to the federal government’s Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act. Under that law, Meta and Google are required to pay Canadian publishers for sharing content on their respective platforms.

The feds argued that companies like Meta benefit from this news circulation and should compensate journalists accordingly. Meta, however, argued that this law misunderstood its relationship with publishers because they voluntarily post links to its platforms and earn money from other revenue streams like advertising or subscriptions. Naturally, this long-running blocking of news has been a blow to both publishers (especially smaller ones) and everyday Canadians alike.

But change could be coming. As Curran mentioned, the U.S. just had its major mid-term elections in which the Democrats landed major victories across the country. Naturally, this so-called “blue wave” takes some power away from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republicans, who are responsible for starting this ridiculous trade war with Canada in the first place. Therefore, it remains to be seen what negotiations U.S. politicians might now make with Canada, including with regard to the Online News Act.

Source: Mickey Djuric (@MickeyDjuric)