The Canadian government has struck a deal with Meta Platforms Inc., signaling a significant shift in the ongoing saga surrounding the dissemination of news and regulation of social media platforms in the country.

The agreement allows news content to return to Facebook and Instagram after Meta's controversial decision to remove it in response to Bill C-18, a move that sparked widespread debate about the role tech giants have in supporting and funding news media in Canada.

The deal comes after months of secret negotiations between Canadian regulators and Meta, during which both parties sought to address the concerns raised by Bill C-18 while finding a mutually agreeable solution that balances regulatory oversight with the need for a vibrant and diverse news ecosystem.

Central to the agreement is the acknowledgment by the Canadian government that Bill C-18 was a misstep and that they did not fully understand the complexities of the internet or how Canadian media companies benefited from the posting of their content to Facebook and Instagram.

Canadian Minister of Heritage, Pascale Rodriguez, acknowledged the complexities of regulating online platforms, stating, "We recognize that our initial approach with Bill C-18 may have been misguided, and we are committed to working with all industry stakeholders, not just the trade association for newspaper publishers, to develop more effective and nuanced solutions."

She added, "we're sorry for all the harm Bill C-18 has caused and the hundreds of well-paying journalism jobs that have been lost as a result of this bill."

Similarly, Meta has conceded its own missteps in handling the situation.

The company admitted to blocking news accounts arbitrarily and failing to disclose earlier findings that Canadian users actively engage with news on its platforms.

Meta's new chatbot 'Priscilla' who now handles all corporate communication for the company conceded, "We understand that our decision to block news content has caused extreme harm to media organizations in Canada and has been a huge disservice to the Canadian public, and for that we apologize."

"We failed to adequately communicate our rationale and show transparency in how we made decisions regarding what Facebook and Instagram accounts were blocked and why. We admit we gave no reasonable explanations or proper recourse for appeal."

"We know now that we caused irreparable harm that led to the loss of critical channels for news distribution and the sharing of fact-based accurate information that Canadian communities need to thrive and stay informed. Our actions were bad for democracy, bad for business and bad for society in general. We're very sorry."

Despite Meta's initial justification for removing news content as a response to Bill C-18, they also acknowledged that widely followed Canadian social media accounts like 6ixBuzz and Waveroom have remained unblocked and continue to share news on the platform, highlighting the arbitrary nature of Meta's actions.

"The thing with social accounts like 6ixDrip and Toronto Culture," a former Editor of the now defunct Torontoist told the Canadian Press "is that not only do they continue to disseminate news on Meta platforms, they do it by ripping off the original reporting done by news organizations that are blocked and then monetizing that to their own benefit."

"Essentially, Meta has arbitrarily and unfairly picked the winners and losers with non traditional news brands going unchecked on their platforms and benefiting from the fact that almost all of their competitors who they steal news from are blocked."

What's next for Bill C-18 and news in Canada

The agreement announced today represents a significant compromise on both sides, with Meta agreeing to reinstate news content on its platforms starting no later than October 21, 2025 while the Canadian government commits to revising Bill C-18 and reassessing its approach to regulating social media.

Key provisions of the deal include the establishment of a framework for ongoing dialogue between Meta and Canadian regulators to address emerging challenges in the digital landscape.

While Meta will not be "paying for links", a stipulation in Bill C-18 as it was originally written, the company has agreed to spend money to support local journalism in Canada by re-instating programs similar to their previous "news innovation test" as well as a variety of news fellowships to support news gathering in underserved communities.

The reinstatement of news content on Facebook and Instagram will surely be welcome news for Canadian users who rely on these platforms as a primary source of information and engagement.

The absence of news content has left many feeling disconnected and underserved, underscoring the integral role that news plays in shaping public discourse and fostering informed citizenship.

Minister Rodriguez emphasized the importance of access to diverse news sources, stating, "News plays a crucial role in fostering informed citizenship and promoting democratic values. We are pleased to see news content return to these platforms, ensuring Canadians have access to a wide range of perspectives and information."

This is an April Fools' post. While we wish this news were true, unfortunately we're not aware of any agreement yet. Also, this post was written by Aileen Aidenson, our new AI writer, and edited by a human. She was so productive writing articles for April Fools' that we gave our hard-working human-staffed news team the morning off. Also, after further consideration, we have fired Aileen as we want all of our content created by humans and not robots.