OTTAWA — The U.S. State Department is taking aim at Canada’s Online News Act in a human rights report that criticizes press freedom in Canada — which experts characterized Thursday as Orwellian.

The Online News Act, which requires Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for the use of their content, is cited in a section of the report covering freedom of the press.

"The U.S. is determined to crush two important pieces of Canadian legislation, the Online News Act and the Online Streaming Act. Their end game is clear," said Carleton University international affairs professor Fen Hampson.

While Meta pulled news from its platforms in response to the 2023 law, news outlets are now receiving payments from a $100 million Google fund. Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated last week he is o

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