Canada’s foreign ministry refutes claims of government ban on Australian diaspora outlet

Canada’s foreign ministry has clarified that the Australian diaspora outlet, The Australia Today, was “never banned” in Canada, refuting claims that the news outlet’s content was restricted due to government orders.

Last week, the outlet claimed Canadian authorities had blocked its social media pages for airing a press conference where India’s foreign minister criticised the North American country’s handling of the Khalistan issue.

Earlier, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the alleged blocking of The Australia Today and noted that its social media was restricted soon after the outlet aired a joint press conference of S Jaishankar with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.

“We understand that the social media handles and pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. This happened just an hour, or a few hours, after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar along with Penny Wong.

“The outlet also had several articles on the visit of the external affairs minister, as also an interview of him. We were surprised. It looks strange to us,” Mr Jaiswal was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

“But, nonetheless, what I will say is that these are actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.”

A government spokesperson has now clarified that Meta’s policy, implemented in 2023 under Canada’s Online News Act, restricted all news content on its platforms within Canada. Although The Australia Today voiced concerns over the timing of the restriction, which followed Indian Mr Jaishankar’s interview, Canada’s foreign ministry stated that the access issues were due to Meta’s policy alone, dismissing suggestions of selective enforcement.

Mr Jaishankar concluded an official visit to Australia on 7 November.

In September last year, Reuters reported that Meta planned to continue blocking news on Facebook and Instagram. Canada had published a draft of the Online News Act, which requires tech giants to pay news publishers, and Meta said it did not address the company’s concerns and that it would stick to blocking news.

The legislation had come after the Canadian media sector sought stricter regulation of tech giants to address their dominance in the online ad market and ensure fairer competition for news outlets.

The Online News Act, part of a global trend to make tech giants pay for news, became law in June and was expected to come into effect in December after the rules were finalised.

“Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to Online News Act taking effect,” Facebook said in a blog post in June last year.

In order to comply with the new law, the company said, “content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada”.

The Independent has contacted The Australia Today to understand whether the company was aware of the Meta rules in Canada.

Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj, managing editor of The Australia Today, claimed that the restriction on the outlet’s social media after it aired an interview with Mr Jaishankar and his press conference with Ms Wong came “under orders from the Canadian government”. The restriction has been” difficult for our team and those who value free and open journalism”, he added.

The Independent has also contacted Canada’s Office of the Information Commissioner for comment.

Canada and India have seen bilateral relations nosedive since Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating last year’s assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijar in Surrey, British Columbia. The two sides have even expelled each other’s diplomats.

Mr Jaishankar had earlier responded to Canada’s allegation of the Indian government’s involvement in Nijjar’s assassination saying Ottawa was making claims without concrete evidence. He had also condemned Canada’s surveillance of Indian diplomats, calling it unacceptable.

“Let me make three comments. One, Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics. Secondly, when we look at Canada, for us the fact that they are putting our diplomats under surveillance is something which is unacceptable,” he said at a press conference in Canberra, before referring to an attack on a Hindu temple in the North American country, “Third, the incidents, and do look at the videos. I think they will tell you in a way political space today has been given to extremist forces there.”

The Independent has reached out to the Indian foreign ministry for comment about The Australia Today claims.