Good afternoon.
Since 1967, Cégep de Jonquière has been a pioneer in technical training in communications and media. We introduced a three-year college degree offering a choice in three fields: journalism, radio and television production. It is all offered under the same roof in Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, at École supérieure en art et technologie des médias. Some 50 years later, the programming has evolved with Quebec's media industry. For the current 2023-24 school year, there are 850 students in all three of our programs.
We are training the talent of tomorrow. École supérieure en art et technologie des médias is the largest French-language media technical training school in the country. The current upheaval in the media world certainly has us very concerned, since we work in this field. Our media represent our culture, our identity and our democracy. They tell our stories, reflect the greatness of our country, challenge things and help develop free and critical thinking for our democracy. In an era of disinformation and globalization, our mission to train the next generation is even more important. Cégep de Jonquière is rooted in the Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean region, which is known for its strong journalistic presence. We have many written, television and radio media.
I will give you a tangible, recent example of the effects of the crisis in the wake of Bell's decision, announced last week, to cut broadcasting positions. On Monday morning, when I was driving to work, on one of the two Bell stations, the regional news update had been replaced by a “local” update from the Montreal network. The three news headlines of the day were about Trois‑Rivières, which is 330 kilometres from Saguenay, a trial in Chicoutimi, which affects us, and the variation in temperatures in Gatineau, Montreal and Sherbrooke. There was nothing about the ice fishing situation in La Baie, or the wind park in Mashteuiatsh. These stories were in the daily morning newspaper, but no one was talking about it on the radio.
It is true that the media is suffering the effects of the current crisis nationally, but it is local news that will be affected the most in the short term. That is already the case. On February 29 and March 1, we will be rallying all the media players from the 11 regions of Quebec at a summit to reflect on solutions for the future of regional news. We will talk about funding, options and the role young people can play in the media industry. We believe that as a higher education institution we can play a leading role in hosting all the parties to discuss this together: employers, employees, unions, government members, students, stakeholders, and more. Ultimately, quality news will benefit everyone. That being said, will this summit on the future of regional news solve everything? Even with my usual optimism, the answer is no, but it is a small step in the right direction.
In the face of the current crisis, we need to be able to establish a dialogue and propose innovative and sustainable solutions. What is more, there needs to be a shift from the quest for higher profits and the rhetoric that prevents any progress or change. Our media will have no choice but to change their approach to move forward. Doing more with less is good in theory, but not likely viable in the long term for our society. We need to use the necessary changes as vectors for developing and doing things differently together because we are strongest when we come together, not when we are isolated. This is not just an issue for the company leaders or for their employees or the government.
News is a fundamental right in our democracy. It is incumbent on everyone to be behind this idea. In a discussion with a teacher last week, she reminded me that the most democratic countries all had plenty of active media that is free to question things. When media is limited and discreet because the press is not free, that is a sign that the country is not very democratic. Is that where we want to end up?