The Quebec Professional Journalists' Federation (FPJQ) and several other media outlets are urging Canadians to abandon Facebook and Instagram for #journéesansmeta on Friday, September 15, in response to Meta's news blocking.

Many stakeholders, including Quebecor, Hebdo Quebec, the Artists Union, FNC - CSN, FTQ, mayors Stefan Bois (Laval), Bruno Marchand (Quebec), and Catherine Fournier (Longueuil), the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Friends of the Broadcast, and many others support #daywithoutmeta.

Furthermore, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has blocked Canadian news on its platforms since August 1 in response to the federal online news law passed in June.

The press release explains that the web giant not only decided to block news produced by Canadian media but also deprives Canadians of access to international media on its platforms.

Thus, if you are a Canadian subscriber, no posts will be available when you visit the Facebook or Instagram accounts of Radio-Canada Information, TVA Nouvelles, and La Presse, but also from the New York Times.

Michael Nguyen, President of the Quebec Professional Journalists' Federation FPJQ, mentioned in an interview with Radio Canada that many citizens are concerned about not seeing news on social media.

Additionally, Meta announced its intention not to participate in the public consultations organized by Ottawa before the law goes into effect on December 19 to discuss its regulatory framework.

On its part, Meta has been denying for several months that it is unfairly benefiting from news content shared on its platforms. News media voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to increase their readership and improve profits, as a spokesperson for the multinational company claimed back in June.