Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused "Meta," the parent company of the communication platforms "Facebook" and "Instagram," of prioritizing its profits over the safety of Canadians by blocking local news while wildfires threaten many local communities in western Canada.

“I want to emphasize how frustrating it is for me that ‘Facebook’ continues to prevent access to local news about wildfires for Canadians who need it,” Trudeau said during a press conference in Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, where his Liberal government is holding a retreat before resuming federal parliamentary work in mid-September.

The Trudeau government has found itself at odds with internet giants after it adopted an online news law about two months ago.

This law, which received royal assent on June 22 and will not come into effect until six months after that date, aims to force internet giants like “Meta” and “Google” to compensate news media in Canada for sharing their articles and reports.

Under the law, fees must be negotiated with the media involved. If no agreement is reached, the federal government acts as the arbitrator.

However, “Meta” and “Google” strongly oppose the provisions of the new Canadian law and its underlying principles, and thus refuse to pay any such fees.

In this context, the companies have begun blocking the publication of Canadian media news on their platforms in Canada.

In the view of the internet giants, news media benefit from the exposure that social media platforms provide to their content, as this attracts more internet users to their sites, thus leading to higher advertising revenues.

“They refuse to ensure that local journalists receive fair pay for informing Canadians and sharing news with them. They prefer to leave people in danger rather than participate and pay their fair share to support democracy and local journalism,” Trudeau added about the internet giants. “It’s appalling.”

It is noted that over 30,000 people in British Columbia, the farthest western province of Canada, are under evacuation orders due to wildfires threatening many local communities, particularly in the city of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley in the south of the province.

In the Northwest Territories, wildfires forced more than 20,000 people to leave their homes in the capital Yellowknife and other areas last week.

Many of those displaced have also reported that it is difficult for them to access the local news they need to follow evacuation orders and stay safe, causing further confusion in an already difficult and uncertain situation.