Justin Trudeau lashes Facebook for blocking news as wildfires rage in Canada

In February 2021, Meta blocked news and government sites in Australia immediately after Canberra passed a media bargaining code that the social media platform opposed.

For days, no news links could no longer be shared and publishers could no longer post from their Facebook pages.

Along with banning traditional media outlets such as the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, scores of government agencies were caught in the net, including health departments, fire and rescue and the Bureau of Meteorology.

A Meta spokesperson said Canadians continue to use its platforms to connect with their communities and access information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organisations.

As of Friday, more than 45,000 people had used Facebook’s “Safety Check” feature to mark themselves safe, and some 300,000 people had visited crisis response pages for Yellowknife, NWT and Kelowna, B.C. to request support, according to the company.

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Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, and blazes in the past week have ravaged western province of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

More than 35,000 people have been driven out of their homes over the past four days as flames spread in the western region, forcing the federal government to deploy the military.

Blazes are also raging further north as Canada reels from its worst wildfire season on record, which many experts have blamed on climate change. Other fires, exacerbated by severe drought, have been reported closer to the US border and in the US Pacific Northwest.

“People are facing horrific situations. … This is a scary and heartbreaking time,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island, on Monday.

Jerrad Schroeder, deputy manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre, late on Sunday said he was expecting “really good” firefighting conditions over the next 24-36 hours with temperatures down in the mid-20s degrees and humidity rising.

British Columbia, which sits on Canada’s Pacific coast, could get some rains this week from Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California on Sunday, forecasters have said.

Reuters with reporter

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