Canada news, tax and ad rules in 2026
Three facts shape Canadian digital advertising in 2026. Meta has blocked news content on Facebook and Instagram in Canada since August 2023 in response to the Online News Act. Google holds an exemption from the Act in exchange for paying C$100 million a year, distributed to news outlets by the Canadian Journalism Collective. Canada announced on 29 June 2025 that it would rescind its 3% digital services tax. For advertisers, news audiences on Meta are gone, publisher inventory reached through other routes carries more of the news context, and platform pricing is no longer exposed to the DST.
Executive findings
- 1
Meta began ending news availability on Facebook and Instagram for people in Canada on 1 August 2023 to comply with the Online News Act.
Documented: official source. Scope: Canada; Meta newsroom, as of . [1]
- 2
Canadian Heritage reports that Google has been granted a five-year exemption from the Online News Act bargaining provisions.
Documented: official source. Scope: Canada; Canadian Heritage briefing, 2026, as of . [2]
- 3
The Canadian Journalism Collective distributes C$100 million a year from Google to Canadian news businesses.
Documented: official source. Scope: Canada; Canadian Journalism Collective, as of . [3]
- 4
Canada announced on 29 June 2025 that it would rescind the digital services tax to support trade negotiations with the United States.
Documented: official source. Scope: Canada; Department of Finance, as of . [4]
Method and limitations
- Question
- Which Canadian policy changes still affect where advertisers reach news audiences and what platforms cost?
- Written for
- Media planners and brand managers buying Canadian media.
- Decision at stake
- Where to place news-adjacent and brand campaigns in Canada.
- Sources
- Meta’s newsroom post on Canadian news availability, a Canadian Heritage briefing on the Online News Act, the Canadian Journalism Collective and the Department of Finance release on the digital services tax.
- Period
- Official and legal sources as published and opened on 18 October 2026.
- Markets
- Canada, national rules and the platform policies that apply there.
- Definitions
- Online News Act: federal law requiring large platforms to bargain with news businesses, in force since December 2023.
- Limitations
- Meta’s position can change; check the current state before planning news-adjacent campaigns.
- This is not legal or tax advice. Confirm obligations for your business with qualified counsel in the market.
No news on Facebook and Instagram
Documented: official source
Since August 2023 news links and content posted by publishers in Canada are not viewable by people in Canada on Facebook or Instagram. Publishers keep access to their pages and to Meta’s advertising tools, but their content does not reach Canadian feeds. Meta still sells advertising in Canada; what disappeared is the news context around it.
Google and the publisher fund
Documented: official source
Google obtained an exemption from the Act’s mandatory bargaining provisions. Under it, C$100 million a year flows to news organisations through the Canadian Journalism Collective, which has been disbursing funds to news businesses since March 2025.
Digital services tax rescinded
Documented: official source
The DST was enacted to tax large technology companies on revenue from Canadian users. On 29 June 2025 the Department of Finance announced it would be rescinded to support negotiations with the United States.
Where we see opportunity
FOCUSADS view
Advertisers who want news context in Canada can buy it directly from publishers, through programmatic deals or on connected TV news apps. With news absent from Meta feeds, creators and community pages carry more of the conversation, which suits brands that brief creators well and disclose partnerships properly.
How this connects to our method: How FOCUSADS screens channels by market
References
- Changes to news availability on our platforms in Canada, Meta Newsroom, accessed
- United States and negotiations: Online News Act (briefing, May 2026), Canadian Heritage, accessed
- Canadian Journalism Collective: funding under the Online News Act, Canadian Journalism Collective, accessed
- Canada rescinds digital services tax to advance broader trade negotiations with the United States, Department of Finance Canada, accessed