Facebook remains the largest platform in much of Canada outside the major cities, and it is also the one where the media environment changed in a way brands rarely account for.

News links have been blocked in Canada since 2023

Following the Online News Act, Meta blocked news links on its platforms in Canada. The practical effect for a brand is that the feed contains less journalism and proportionally more posts from people, groups and businesses, which changes what competes for attention.

Groups do a great deal of the work

Local buy and sell groups, community groups, town groups and interest groups are where a large amount of Canadian Facebook activity happens. For a local business that is a more useful place to be present than a brand page.

The audience skews older and more rural

Which is not a weakness, it is a targeting fact. Home services, vehicles, insurance, health products, farm and trade equipment all reach a genuinely large audience here that is harder to find elsewhere.

The format is different from a vertical feed

Longer captions get read, square and horizontal video still work, and a slower opening is tolerated more than on a short form platform. A video cut for one placement is not automatically right for this one.

French Canada uses it heavily

Facebook has a strong position in Quebec, including outside Montreal. A brand publishing only in English on this platform is missing a proportionally larger share of the audience than it would elsewhere.

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Frequently asked questions

What changed in Canada in 2023?

News links were blocked on Meta platforms.

Where does activity concentrate?

In groups more than on brand pages.

Who is the audience?

Skewing older and more rural.

Is the format the same as Reels?

No, longer and less strictly vertical.