How many papers are there—?
Evidence of meeting #8 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pandemic.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #8 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pandemic.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
It's over 150 digital subscriptions that you announced. It was actually 156. I'm wondering how much it is dollar-wise.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
You're talking about the $600-million credit that was put in place at the time, and there was $50 million for regional media. Is that right?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I'll have to ask Finance, because it's Finance that runs it. However, I'll tell you, if I may, why we did it. It's because our independent press is disappearing. I said earlier that 450 media outlets closed their doors in the last 10 years, so it was absolutely urgent to act.
This is very neutral and, once again, arm's length. We don't want the government there. There are specific criteria. It's managed by CRA, and they apply...together or not.
I think it was the right way to help, because we need a free, independent, non-partisan press.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
The reason I think you gave them the tax credit was to hopefully get subscriptions.
Is there any data that in Canada subscriptions actually went up, for the Toronto Sun or other newspapers, or was this a gift to them? Do we have any data—to Isabelle, maybe—saying that subscriptions in this country to local newspapers have gone up in the last two years, or was this money just a gift and we don't have any tracking for subscriptions?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
It was never.... I'm not sure—English is my third language—what you mean by “gift”. It's there to support an industry that needs it, an industry that's one of the pillars of our democracy, right?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
The intention is not to give. It's to help them do their job, to ask you and me the tough questions and to do what they do best.
For those specific numbers, we can ask Finance. It's really Finance that manages that. It's not Heritage.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
I was just wondering about the subscriptions, because that's the logical thing. I have a tax credit of $378 now from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, so really I get it for free. There should be more subscribers to the local newspapers, right?
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
That's the question I asked. Are we seeing a rise in subscriptions in Canada?
Maybe that will come from another department.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
In July 2021, when he was still heritage minister, Minister Guilbeault was here. He sent us briefing notes because we had started this look at what COVID-19 had done to arts and entertainment. It stated the government's intentions to increase advertising spending to traditional media.
Can you provide those numbers to the committee? Owen, we know the government put lots of money into Google and Facebook. What about traditional media like radio, television and newspapers? In the report of July 2021, you indicated you were going to make a concerted effort on that front.
4:10 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
I have a couple of statistics I can share with you. If those don't do the trick, we can certainly follow up.
Since the beginning of the 2017-18 fiscal year, the Department of Canadian Heritage has spent approximately $8.75 million on advertising. Of that amount, only $846,000 was spent on social media platforms. The remainder was spent on more traditional media.
During the fiscal year of 2020-21, the department spent approximately $1 million on advertising. Of that amount, approximately $450,000 was spent on social media. The remainder would have been on more traditional platforms.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
Boy, have you ever come down in advertising. It's down from $8.75 million in 2017 to only $1 million now.
4:15 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
The 2017-18 amount is a cumulative figure, so $8.75 million is the cumulative figure since 2017-18.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
Okay, good.
I think I have 30 seconds left, Madam Chair.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You folks have some creative clocks around you.
I'm sorry, Kevin, your time is up.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Leslyn, I'm sorry you didn't get to ask any questions.
Now I'll go to Lisa Hepfner for five minutes.
February 28th, 2022 / 4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Thank you very much. Through you, Madam Chair,
[Member spoke in Spanish]