Canada’s press freedom has reached a new low, after falling another seven spots in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index to 21st place globally.
Reporters Without Borders released its latest World Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking of countries that evaluates press freedom in countries around the world, taking into account journalists’ ability to report freely, accessibility of news and unrestricted internet access.
It also reviews government measures to protect the freedom of the press.
Canada fell by seven places this year compared to 2024 and currently holds a “satisfactory” rating. Canada currently ranks two places behind Trinidad and Tobago
As state control over media has increased, Canada has dropped by 13 places since 2015.
The Independent Press Gallery of Canada responded to the ranking by criticizing the sharp Liberal government’s “expanded censorship through Bill C-11, granting the CRTC power over online content, Bill C-18, which disrupted news access by forcing tech platforms to pay government-approved media,” in a statement released Monday.
The Online News Act or Bill C-18, led to Meta—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—blocking Canadian news in response to the bill, which still remains in place.
True North journalists are accredited members of the IPG.
Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney also hinted that the Liberals may not be finished with online censorship legislation on the campaign trail in Hamilton, Ont. when he spoke about introducing legislation aimed at addressing “online harms.”
“One of (the measures) is with respect to really just the sea of misogyny, anti-semitism, hatred, conspiracy theories, this sort of pollution that’s online that washes over our virtual border from the United States,” said Carney last month. “The more serious thing is when it affects how people behave — when Canadians are threatened going to their community centres or their places of worship or their school or, God forbid, when it affects our children.”
Previous efforts to regulate online content—Bill C-36 and Bill C-63—both failed to become law. Bill C-36 lapsed ahead of the 2021 federal election, and Bill C-63 was halted following the 2025 prorogation of Parliament.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined True North’s request for comment on the recent ranking.
“Meanwhile, Carney has pledged $150 million more to the CBC, already receiving $1.4 billion annually, while legacy outlets enjoy a $600 million bailout—funding that rewards loyalty and punishes independence,” said the IPG.
“This has created a two-tier media system, with subsidized outlets, praised and promoted, and independent outlets, denied access and smeared by state-funded competitors.”
Meanwhile, the RSF noted that in countries like Canada, “media concentration is cause for concern.”
“This growing concentration restricts editorial diversity, increases the risk of self-censorship and raises serious concerns about newsrooms’ independence from the economic and political interests of their shareholders,” it said.
It warned that government intervention and economic fragility are the leading threats to press freedom globally, which the IPG argues is “government policy” in Canada.