Coun. Laura Dudas suggested that the city follow the lead of the federal government and stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram
The City of Ottawa will keep advertising on Facebook and Instagram, even though a motion in council on Wednesday failed by one vote.
The motion was put forward by Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas after Facebook’s parent company, Meta, said it would stop Canadians from reading news articles.
“It’s not right for a big American social media company to be mean to Canadian local or national media. Dudas told the council, “I just can’t do it, I can’t stand it.”
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said last week that the federal government would stop advertising on Meta platforms. He called the company’s actions “irresponsible” and “unreasonable.”
- Heritage Minister says that the federal government has stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
The Online News Act, which was signed into law on June 22, will force Meta and Google to work out deals to pay producers when a user clicks on a link to news content on their platforms.
Dudas, who used to be a journalist, said that Meta’s decision to block the content will make it harder for the City of Ottawa and council members to share information with residents, which is especially important when the city is facing a natural disaster.
Motion divides counci
Council members who backed the motion also talked about how Meta’s decision will affect local journalism and the role it plays in democracy.
But others said they didn’t think it was the right time to make such a choice. Several people were worried about what would happen to the city’s recreation programs if ads were taken down, especially on Facebook.
Others asked why the council was talking about something they thought was mostly a federal issue.
“I really don’t want to talk about this, but we’re here. Shawn Menard, who represents the Capital ward, said, “I think, you know, the solution that has been proposed is performative and will hurt our residents.”
Staff from the city told councillors that the ads make up about 20% of Ottawa’s public relations advertising and that they are a useful tool.
“It doesn’t feel like this is our fight to fight, and I’m also worried about how it will affect our residents,” said Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine, who said he understood the idea behind the motion but couldn’t support it.
In the end, the mayor and 10 council members voted for the motion, while 12 council members voted against it.
Several Quebec cities, including Gatineau, are taking the lead of the federal government and removing ads from Meta platforms.