More than 60% of Canadians believe Google and Meta should compensate Canadian media for posting news on their platforms, but half (49%) think Ottawa is rolling back its threats to block access to Canadian news should.

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These puzzling findings come from a new Angus Reid Foundation poll released on Monday. They suggest that the threats from these tech giants are having some impact on public opinion.

In fact, 63% of respondents are concerned about promises to censor links to Canadian news in order to get out of the legal framework established by Ottawa and not have to pay.

Although nearly two-thirds (61%) of people want media revenue-sharing, only a quarter (26%) of those polled want the Trudeau government and Culture Secretary Pablo Rodriguez to stand up to Google and Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram and What’s App.

Far more people, fearing retaliation, believe the government should back down and crack down on its online news law designed to force these giants to pay for local media.

The poll shows that 39% simply oppose the Trudeau administration’s legislation and support the status quo.

However, supporters of the Online News Act (C-18) are divided on the best course of action: 42% want platforms to pay media a fixed annual amount, while 20% prefer per-click compensation.

As a sign of their growing influence, Facebook and Google News are the top destinations for Canadians looking for morning news for 51% of Canadians. Those who obtain information directly from a media site are only 32%.

On the other hand, 82% of Canadians believe that “too few companies have too much control over the internet”. Only 7% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

Meta Canada said last week it would continue to block Canadian news on its platforms in the coming weeks.

According to the Ottawa House Budget Officer, the Online News Act could bring in around $330 million annually for Canada’s journalism sector, which has seen a significant drop in income since the advent of social media.