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A bill aimed at getting tech giants such as Meta and Google to pay publishers for news that appears on their platforms is one step closer to becoming law.

A bill meant to force big tech companies to compensate Canadian media for news content appearing on their platforms is back in the spotlight amid BCE Inc.'s decision to slash 1,300 positions, including six per cent of its media arm.

Some French-language media organizations and smaller local media outlets say they are being targeted by Meta after the digital giant restricted access to their content on Facebook as part of its fight against the Liberal government's online-news bill.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing no interest in compromising with Meta and Google over a proposed law that would make them pay for Canadian journalism that helps tech companies generate revenue.

Meta is preparing to block news for some Canadians on Facebook and Instagram in a temporary test that is expected to last the majority of the month.

Rachel Curran, head of public policy for Meta Canada, said the company has put together a content-blocking team that is getting ready to end the availability of news on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram should the Liberal government's online news bill pass.

In early 2022, 26-year-old Hazel Thayer started posting punchy, colourful videos about climate change. She found it was a quick, easy way to spread the word about the need for action.

Canadians would no longer be able to access news on Facebook or Instagram if the federal government's proposed Online News Act passes in its current form, the parent company behind the two popular social media platforms said.

Some members of Parliament want to see Google in the hot seat over the tech company's move to temporarily block news access to some of its Canadian users.

Advocates for the print and digital media industry are pushing back against Google, which they believe is bullying Canadians by limiting access to online news as part of a fight with Ottawa.

Search for the word “climate” on Twitter and the first automatic recommendation isn't “climate crisis” or “climate jobs” or even “climate change” but instead “climate scam.”

The House of Commons passed a Liberal bill on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, designed to require web giants to compensate journalism outfits for reposting their content, and Meta is once again threatening to remove news content from Facebook in Canada.

New statistics show that police-reported extortion cases in Canada rose by nearly 300 per cent in the last decade, as the crime swelled online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental-health professionals are volunteering their services to provide trauma support for Ukrainian Canadians and newcomers fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Digital giant Meta says it has “serious concerns” about the federal government's online news bill, which would force tech companies to compensate news outlets for reusing their work on social media platforms.