A healthy democracy not only demands a free press, but free and easy access to that content.
In an effort to remind digital giant Meta of this, the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (FPJQ) and the Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publique (SQPRP) are calling on their members, as well as industry professionals nationwide, to boycott Facebook and Instagram on September 15, the International Day of Democracy.
The Meta boycott comes months after the passing of the Online News Act (Bill C-18) in June, a legislative effort designed to force large tech companies to negotiate with Canadian news outlets and ultimately share revenues generated by online advertising in this country. In response, Meta began the process of removing news access for Canadian Facebook and Instagram users in early August, maintaining it gets no economic value from users or outlets sharing news and, as a result, avoiding the terms of Bill C-18.
According to news sources, FPJQ president Michael Nguyen cited a study by the L’Université du Québec à Montréal indicating that sharing Canadian news on Facebook has generated $193 million in revenue for Meta.
In July, the Government of Canada and Quebecor pulled all of its advertising from Facebook and Instagram in response to Meta’s news blocking. According to the government’s most recent advertising expenditure report, the federal government spent $11.4 million on Facebook and Instagram advertising from 2021 to 2022, representing more than half of the $21.2 million it spent on social media advertising overall.
Torstar, Postmedia — two of Canada’s biggest news companies — and Unifor, the country’s largest media workers union, followed suit, along with Bell Media and Corus soon after.
In August, non-profit and non-partisan advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (FRIENDS) called for users to stop using Instagram and Facebook for two days (August 23 and 24).
Latest reports indicate additional support for the one-day boycott on September 15, including Quebecor, the Union des artistes, Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, as well as the Canadian Association of Journalists.
