A group of independent television stations has formally asked the broadcasting regulator to make Meta compensate them for carrying their news on Facebook and Instagram, saying the tech giant should be governed by the Online News Act because it is still carrying their journalism.
Meta Platforms blocked all news from Facebook and Instagram in 2023, in response to the act, which would have required it to inject funds into Canada’s news industry for carrying its content.
By blocking news it has avoided compensating Canadian news organizations, unlike tech giant Google.
But in a formal submission to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the group of small stations from across Canada this month presented the broadcasting regulator with more than 100 examples of their news being carried on Facebook and Instagram.
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In its submission to the regulator, the broadcasters argued that because news is still being carried on its platforms, Meta should be forced to start talks about paying them compensation.
The application to the CRTC came from about 15 French and English TV stations including in Ontario, Quebec, B.C. and Newfoundland, which together have an audience of more than 3.5 million Canadians. They include CHCH-TV in Hamilton Ont. and CHEK-TV in Victoria.
Meta declined to comment on the broadcasters’ application to the CRTC.
Mirabella Salem, a spokesperson for the CRTC, confirmed it “has received an application from the Local Independent Television Station Group,” but declined to comment further.
The broadcasters sent the CRTC a dossier with dozens of clips and screenshots of their news posted on Facebook and Instagram since the act came into force. Some were hyperlinks to videos of their news bulletins, or screenshots of written news stories.
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The dossier includes a hyperlink posted on Facebook to a CHCH news report about a man who was seriously injured after being shot by police in Niagara. A report by CHEK News that B.C. Ferries would no longer allow electric vehicles to be charged onboard was also posted on Facebook.
The small local independent TV stations (LITS) group, in its correspondence to the CRTC said: “Meta has been making LITS news available on a regular basis since the Online News Act came into force December 19, 2023″ and therefore qualifies as a “digital news intermediary” under the act.
In its submission it observes that Meta seems to “periodically do a “clean-up” and take down links to news – after they have been up for a while.”
“This does not detract, however, from the fact that the links were made available, and fresh ones appear, therefore subjecting Meta to liability under the Act,” it says.
Currently only Google is affected by the Online News Act, which makes tech giants compensate news organizations for using their journalism.
In December, 2023, Google agreed to pay Canadian news publishers annually to exempt it from the Online News Act. In January, 2025, Google sent $100-million to Canadian news outlets in exchange for the exemption. Almost two-thirds of that went to written media, including local newspapers serving francophone and Indigenous communities.
Many local news organizations, including broadcasters, have seen their revenues drop sharply as advertising has migrated to tech platforms, with some being forced to close.
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“We are asking that the Commission rule that Meta is covered by the Online News Act because it is making available news as defined in the act,” said Peter Miller, counsel to the broadcasters who contacted the CRTC. “For smaller players ensuring that Meta is covered under the news act and provides compensation is essential, because they have been hardest hit by changes in the advertising market.”
The Online News Act has come into the sights of the Trump administration, which regards it, along with Ottawa’s Online Streaming Act, as a trade irritant. Both laws, which affect American digital giants, are being discussed as part of trade negotiations with Canada.
Meta previously indicated that it would like to return news to its platforms, but does not want to be subject to the Online News Act, which would make it pay compensation for posts of Canadian journalism on its platforms. It has argued that it should not have to pay for news that its users post themselves.
Meta has been in talks with the federal government about returning news to its platforms. Ottawa is keen for the social-media giant to restore news to Facebook and Instagram and has said it is concerned the ban has led to people turning to irregular sources of news which could include misinformation.