Canadian Heritage Committee on Sept. 27th, 2022

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

That's my problem with this bill. Rural newspapers, many of them held by Conservative seats in this country, in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan.... That's why I invited you here, because there is a huge flaw in Bill C-18, as mentioned by my Bloc counterpart, in rural Quebec. It is a fallacy led by this Liberal government that this bill is going to save journalism. It's not going to save journalism at all. I know it won't.

I want more information from Saskatchewan. When I look at your 56 newspapers, many of them are hanging on by their bare minimum right now. They don't have two full-time employees in the newsroom. This bill does them no good whatsoever. In fact, I will say this: This bill harms them, because they're competing with big organizations like Glacier in my province of Saskatchewan who may have two full-time employees. This bill actually harms you more than it helps you.

[Steve Nixon]

I can't speak ill of Glacier or of any of my members. They are included in those 56. What I would say, though, is that there is an opportunity in the budget of 2022. There's $10 million for a local journalism initiative. It has be to be structured in a way that it can flow out to these small community media outlets.

There's also in the budget $40 million in new funding over the next three years through the Canadian periodical fund. A significant portion of this needs to go towards these smallest publications.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Thank you for mentioning the $40 million, but we don't know where it's going to go. Nobody has said where some of that money is going to go. When I look at your 56 members, I'm really worried that some of these will be off the web page here a year from now.

[Steve Nixon]

I suspect that this will be the case.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Thanks very much.

Madam Chair, I'm going to move a notice of motion, if I can, as I did on Thursday, September 22. I just want to read this, in the few seconds I have left:

That the Minister of Canadian Heritage be invited to appear before the committee, regarding the federal funding provided to the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

We have Minister Hussen coming, Madam Chair, but it is my wish that we get the Minister of Canadian Heritage here. He has five different departments taking money out of Canadian Heritage. We need to hear from the minister himself dealing with CMAC and the funding of $133,000.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Kevin. [Inaudible—Editor] discuss this. You've just gone over time a bit, so that's fair enough.

We will now go to Mr. Louis for the Liberals.

This is going to be the last round, because we have to have 15 minutes for a business meeting—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

—and we have a five-minute time slot to get in camera.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Begin, Tim.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, Ms. Thomas. I'm sorry.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, I believe my colleague has just moved a motion, which means that we now proceed to discussing that motion rather than continuing on with the order of questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right. I guess that's what we're going to have to do.

Kevin, that did not leave one of your colleagues their five-minute question time, but there you go.

We're going to have to adjourn this portion of the meeting to go in camera to finish discussing that motion.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm also going to want to thank the witnesses for coming—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

—and to dismiss the witnesses right now.

Thank you very much—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

—for your time.

Thank you.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, Ms. Thomas.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Chair, when I'm calling a point of order, it does need to be acknowledged, according to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.

Right now we are not to move in camera. The motion has been moved in public, and we are to stay in public.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Fair enough, Ms. Thomas, but I would like to thank the witnesses, if you don't mind.

Thank you very much, witnesses.

The witness portion of this meeting is over. We're going to move into debating Mr. Waugh's motion.

Mr. Housefather's hand is up.

Ms. Thomas, is your hand still up, or did you forget to take it down?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Yes, Madam Chair. Originally my hand was up to speak to this motion; however, because proper procedure wasn't followed, I had to call a point of order.