Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #152 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was media.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #152 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was media.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
I'm going to deal with the business income tax measures referred to a minute ago. One of the comments from the Quebec Community Newspapers Association was this:
Some of our member newspapers do not have the resources to employ more than one journalist and often, the editor also writes news articles.
It's not going to work.
In my riding, I don't have any dailies; I have weeklies. I have the Taber Times, the Vauxhall Advance, the Rocky View Weekly, the Chestermere Anchor, the Bassano Times, the Strathmore Times and the Brooks Bulletin.
If you look at all those papers—and that's not all of them—the owner is usually the editor. The owner has a camera and there's one reporter. However, these are the lifeblood of my communities. They cover the local mayor, the councils, what the hockey team did, and enhancing development in that community.
They are the lifeblood, but under your criterion of “two or more journalists in the production of its content who deal at arm's length with the organization”.... The editor is usually the owner. He's not only the owner; he's the photographer and the writer. All of them that you can list might have one reporter, or maybe two, but usually they're not just a reporter; they're also a photographer.
Therefore, every one of the weeklies in my riding won't get anything out of this, because the criterion eliminates them. These papers, all of the weeklies, are the lifeblood of all the communities in my riding.
I had the Calgary Herald years ago, but I don't take it anymore because it doesn't cover the communities in my riding. That's what most people do. The weeklies are the lifeblood, and the owner is the editor, the photographer and the reporter.
One of the owner-editors I met with said, “You're trying to save print media. The federal government used to advertise in print media, but now they don't. It's all social media. Give us back our print media advertising from the federal government. You've pulled that all from the weekly newspapers.” He said, “If we had that as a source of income, that would make a difference.”
On the one hand, you want to support the production of newspapers, the big newspaper chains, which maybe are dying, but you said you need to support them. However, on the other hand, you've pulled that support from the weekly newspapers that are the lifeblood of the communities.
You say they have to have two separate reporters. If you look through every one of my weeklies here, the Brooks Bulletin included, they won't qualify because of that piece. These are owned by the editors. The editors are the owners of these weekly papers. They can't be separated; they're part of it.
That's an ask when I meet with the weekly newspapers in my riding. They say, “Give us back the print ads that the feds were doing. You're going to support the large newspapers in print form, but you've pulled the support and advertising from the weeklies.” That's a challenge.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Yes, Mr. Shields, but with due respect, the shift from traditional media to social media started under the previous government.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
I got that, but you're going to support $600 million into the print media.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
It did start under the previous government. It's something that you see across the world. Now, what do we do with that? Do we cross our arms and do nothing, or do we intervene? We said, “We have to intervene.”
For weeklies, it's a different program. It's the periodical fund, which already exists. We're putting $75 million per year into that program. It already exists and it is there for weeklies. That's where they go.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
However, with that simple criterion, you've eliminated the weeklies out of that $600 million.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
April 9th, 2019 / 4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Mr. Shields, I'm trying to understand. With all due respect, your party seems to be opposing this measure.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
On the other hand, you seem to say they should get the funds.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
You're saying you're supporting the major dailies, but you don't support the weeklies.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
No, as I mentioned to you, we're supporting the weeklies through the periodical fund. There is $75 million there.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
However, you are not supporting them with the new $600 million.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
It is there for them. It depends. Some of them could qualify under the rules.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
No, none of them will. Under that criterion, not one of them will qualify.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
However, the periodical fund is there, with $75 million, and it has actually always been there. They're allowed to—
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
Yes, but you have a new program with $600 million. With that simple one-line criterion, you've eliminated all the weeklies.
