Canadian Heritage Committee on Sept. 23rd, 2022

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Deegan, do you think this will compromise the independence of all the people affiliated with Postmedia?

[Paul Deegan]

Not at all, no more than.... If General Motors would run an ad in The Globe and Mail or the Toronto Star and if someone from GM phoned up The Globe and Mail and said, “Hey, I don't like your coverage and I'm going to pull my advertising”, I think the publisher would tell him to go take a hike.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I'll asked the Hebdos Québec representatives the same question.

Do you believe that this will cause problems with respect to your integrity and journalistic independence?

[Benoit Chartier]

No, not at all. Newsrooms are always isolated from newspaper publishers and owners. Why would this bill lead to a loss of independence?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, do I have any time left, or am I done?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Anthony. That's it. You have 10 seconds.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

It's okay. I sacrifice the 10 seconds.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right. Thank you.

I now go to the Bloc Québécois and Martin for two and a half minutes, please.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Housefather, with your experience, you should know that you don't have to ask; you just need to continue until you're interrupted!

[Voices]

Oh, Oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

That's insurrection, Mr. Champoux.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Chair, you're encroaching on my speaking time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

No, I haven't even started your clock yet, Martin.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I'll begin then.

Mr. Deegan, according to a survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights, 90% of Canadians felt that something should be done to help local media survive, 79% were in favour of the tech giants sharing their revenue with print media and local media, and 80% agreed with the intent of this bill.

Do you think these people are well informed?

[Paul Deegan]

Absolutely.

They are very well informed. We put the question to Liberals, Bloc members, Conservatives and New Democrats, and all the respondents thought that local journalism was very important and that legislation was needed to support it.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I can confirm that. I represent a region which has a very successful weekly newspaper,L'Express, in Drummondville, and lots of people read it. I don't know how there could even be any local news coverage without our weekly paper. I therefore think that it truly reflects an interest.

I would also like to ask the Hebdos Québec representatives the following question—but for now I'm asking you—and that is whether you think the smallest print media players, particularly weeklies in Quebec and Canada, will be able to survive individually? Or is it rather your intention to work collectively in order to be stronger when the time comes to bargain with the Internet giants? How do you expect these negotiations to play out?,

[Paul Deegan]

We would like all the newspapers in Canada, whether large, medium or small, to establish a broad coalition. In Quebec, the case of La Presse, whose president is Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, is an interesting one because the newspaper is one of North America's great innovators because of its tablet application.

It's very important for Quebec media to join this broad coalition. We've spoken to representatives of companies that are not members of News Media Canada, like Québecor. It's very important for Québecor, La Presse, Le Devoir and the weeklies to be part of this coalition, because we are stronger together.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Deegan.

Madam Chair, as was the case for my colleague Mr. Housefather, I believe that's all the time I have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have 12 seconds, Mr. Champoux.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the witnesses for being with us today. I must have used up all my speaking time by now. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Now, for the New Democratic Party, we have Peter Julian for two and a half minutes, please.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Chair, if it's all right with you, I'll take the10 seconds Mr. Housefather has left and the 12 seconds remaining for Mr. Champoux.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Champoux's 12 seconds became three seconds, Peter—nice try.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Okay, thanks.

Mr. Chartier, I'd like to congratulate you on these 170 years of contributions in Saint-Hyacinthe. It's amazing.

I've lived in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Estrie and Montreal, and have travelled throughout Quebec. On these trips, I've been able to see that weeklies are extremely important in every corner of the province.

Are you sure that Bill C-18 as it stands will be beneficial to the weeklies, even those in remote regions? If not, what amendments could you suggest that would improve the bill?

[Benoit Chartier]

I'm convinced that Bill C-18 would enable my 40 colleagues who are publishers and owners of weeklies, and whom you have probably encountered in Quebec, to remain competitive. That would also be true for newspapers in remote regions. That's because, as Mr. Deegan mentioned, we are going to negotiate collectively for all of Canada. That hardly ever happens. Even some publishers of Quebec dailies joined forces to negotiate. Doing so would definitely help us get the most from our bargaining efforts.

As for Bill C-18, there is not a single publisher in Quebec worried about any particular amendments that would put them at a disadvantage simply because they are in a remote area or because there's only one journalist in the newsroom. As written, the bill will benefit regional journalism in Canada and Quebec, and cover all levels of government. Most importantly, it would help to keep our democracy healthy.