The federal government’s sweeping changes to a $595 million media bailout program crosses the “line of integrity” in journalism, says a former reporter who now sits on the House of Commons Heritage Committee.
“The government continues to spend millions on media,” Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, a former television sports journalist, said during a Nov. 23 committee meeting.
“When you see millions of dollars being spent on journalists there is a line of integrity I think has been crossed,” he added, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The bailout, according to the government’s economic statement, is a bid to keep “independent journalism” alive and well in Canada. The government described the funding as a response to the “changing nature of the news industry” that is “threatening the existence of local news across Canada.”
Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed argued during the committee meeting that Tory opposition to the media bailout did not reflect public opinion. “I think it’s important that sometimes what you may hear from Conservative MPs may not actually reflect the will of Canadians,” he said.
“It’s always interesting to hear my Conservative colleagues speak about what appears to be disdain for media,” he added. “They talk about wanting to defund the CBC in their caucus.”
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly called to “defund” the CBC by ending its $1.3 billion in media subsidies.
“The CBC frankly is a biased propaganda arm of the Liberal Party and, frankly, negatively affects all media,” Mr. Poilievre told reporters on April 13. “We need a neutral and free media, not a propaganda arm for the Liberal Party.”
“I think we need a market-driven media that benefits by subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships and donations rather than government subsidies,” he said. “I am against bailouts. Frankly, I am against all kinds of bailouts, not just for media.”
