The government also spends a lot on advertising on Facebook and Google. For my part, I am not comfortable with this. These two American companies earn billions of dollars, but that money does nothing for Canada. These are good platforms, to be sure, but our media reach everyone. It is as simple as that.
The government should also encourage the 33 newspapers and the 20 independent publishers that I represent. We don't have the power or strength of Transcontinental, which has its own distribution, printing, and packaging network. It can be active on the various platforms. For our part, we focus on the weekly edition. Our revenues are from our advertisers but the revenues are dwindling. The government could, of course, help us a great deal, as Mr. Olivier suggested, especially as regards spending on advertising. The government could establish a strong strategy to help local media since they are part of the riding's ecosystem. That is the long and short of it.
We write about you and cover your press conferences. The newspaper La Pensée de Bagot covers Valcourt, Roxton, and all the other localities in the region. We are on the ground every week, but Facebook and Google would never provide that coverage.