Canadian Heritage Committee on Sept. 24th, 2025

[Andrew Campbell, Senior Vice-President, Operations, Parks Canada Agency]

Thank you very much.

We kept track of those who came into national parks and national historic sites for free, and we will be compensated for the value of those individuals who came into national parks and national historic sites over the two-month period of the “Canada Strong” pass.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon South, SK]

What would the number be?

[Andrew Campbell]

Right now we're at about a 10% or 11% increase over our previous year, in 2024-25. Once we get our final numbers, we'll present them to the Treasury Board, and we expect to be remunerated for that lost revenue.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon South, SK]

Could you provide your answers in writing to the committee? We probably won't see as many of you here, but we would like to know the numbers and the dollar value over the two months. Are you going to compensate? We would like to know this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you, Mr. Waugh. You're out of time, but I will leave that request with the analysts.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon South, SK]

Good. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Next we have Mr. Al Soud for six minutes.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you all for being here. Indeed, seven officials is interesting and impressive.

This committee is about to launch a study on artificial intelligence. Its impact on creative industries is something that we're going to be studying and considering above all else. As we begin this work, I'd like to hear your perspectives on how we can seize the opportunities of AI while protecting our artists and cultural workers.

Has the department commissioned or gathered estimates on the economic impact of AI on Canadian Heritage and on Canada's cultural industries? I'd be very curious to hear from you on that.

[Isabelle Mondou]

I will start by saying that we have been gathering people and discussing this issue for a couple of months, if not a year now. There was a consultation with the cultural sector that we conducted with our colleagues at the Department of Industry to better understand exactly what you mentioned: What's the impact? What are people feeling? What are the opportunities? That consultation took place.

There was also a survey online, and just last week I had the pleasure of chairing two round tables with all the unions for the cultural sector from English Canada and all the unions from Quebec. They talked to us about what they think is important and what needs to be done from a regulatory point of view but also in terms of training and international concerns, etc. We're gathering very good information on that.

In addition, we signed an MOU with Mila, which is the institute in Montreal; you know them. We have also conducted some round tables there to understand better. Three weeks ago, I was at TIFF and participated in a round table with the sector. The questions we're asking are very specific, and we're asking what we can do practically to help.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

That's fantastic. Thank you for that very comprehensive answer.

As I mentioned earlier, I was born in Montreal. I spent most of my life there from childhood. I don't want to say that I'm much younger, but I'm still young. I saw the immediate impact of local media on culture in Montreal. However, it is clear that local media is not as strong across the country as it is in Montreal. Of course, that includes the rural regions of Quebec.

What can be done to avoid media deserts in places like Mississauga, where I now live?

[Isabelle Mondou]

Thank you for the question.

A program was designed specifically for that, the local journalism initiative. Its purpose is to provide funding to journalists, specifically by paying the salaries of journalists who live in a total or near-total news desert. The program was set up in 2019, and it works extremely well. It really makes it possible to hire journalists in small communities. This can involve newspapers with only one or two journalists, who can really develop their abilities there. Some of them have even decided to share the resource to support each other. It's a very helpful measure.

In addition, the passage of Bill C‑18 made it possible to reach an agreement with Google, which invested $100 million. Newspapers that meet the criteria can receive up to $13,000 per journalist working for their organization. Some local newspapers have obviously benefited from this measure.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

How many outlets currently benefit from the local journalism initiative, and how many of those serve ethnic or multilingual communities?

[Isabelle Mondou]

It's 700.

I don't know if my colleague wants to add anything.

[Joëlle Montminy, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage]

In the past year, 404 organizations received funding. In terms of news organizations, that represents 700 journalist positions.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

On a different, separate and more serious note, our country is grappling with rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Could you speak to the programs the Department of Heritage has to support community-based initiatives addressing this trend? Would you be able to share how many funded projects are currently under way?

[Andrew Brown, Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage]

I think you've characterized the situation across the country really accurately in terms of some of the sorts of divisions we're seeing. We're really trying to tackle challenges that are facing communities through a number of different programs.

First and foremost are really the programs that are under the multiculturalism and anti-racism banner. We've had a number of calls in the last year and have been able to fund community organizations across the country in terms of programming that is aimed to bring people together and combat hate and tackle anti-racism. We also launched a separate program earlier this year, the national Holocaust remembrance program, particularly targeted at anti-Semitism. In that regard we've been working with and providing funding to a number of Jewish organizations.

To do so, we actually worked with a special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combatting anti-Semitism to identify Jewish organizations across the country that would have the capacity to carry out these projects.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

That's fantastic.

Very quickly, the minister highlighted that we've seen incredible rates of journalistic representation pertaining to diversity across our country. Would you say that this element of diversity across the country, from a cultural standpoint, leads to differentiation in terms of perspective from a journalistic standpoint?

[Isabelle Mondou]

I think that's why we created the narrative fund, because there was a feeling that there was not enough representation in the media, in cinema, etc. That's exactly the goal of that program—to hear different voices and have more people getting the chance to be in the newspaper or in other media, and therefore make these stories even richer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you.

Mr. Champoux, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Like my colleagues, I'm impressed to see seven departmental officials here at the same time. What I find even more impressive is the number of people around the table named Andrew. There's a lack of diversity.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

That said, it makes our job a little easier. We won't get anyone's name wrong, at least not the gentlemen's.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here and taking the time to answer our questions.

I'm going to start by asking a question about parks. I think Andrew is going to answer me.

Now that Parks Canada has introduced free entry, have you measured the impact it has had on other regional tourism businesses?

For example, have you had any claims from companies that, like other parks, charge admission fees and that may have suffered losses?

If so, have you provided compensation to the tourism businesses that might have suffered losses because of the free entry you offered?

[Andrew Campbell]

When we discussed this with members of the tourism industry, they said that, in general, they had profited. They didn't all say that, but the vast majority of businesses next to parks and historic sites felt that way.

Others, some of whose products are linked to Parks Canada, thought they would incur losses, but all across the country they profited, because Canadian Heritage offered museums virtually the same thing as Parks Canada offered.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Some cultural or tourism businesses, although perhaps not many, have suffered losses. We don't expect the federal government to be a competitor in this industry. Mind you, I'm not criticizing the free entry at all; I think a lot of people benefited from it and it was a great idea. However, do you intend to hear the claims of the companies that have suffered losses directly as a result of this unexpected competition? Is the department open to that?

[Andrew Campbell]

We are always open to having these discussions, but we only have the power to deal with the situation of businesses that are in a national park or that have a business relationship with Parks Canada. We're not in a position to solve any problems beyond that.