Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses.
I would also like to welcome our two new members, Ms. Hirtle and Ms. Auguste.
First, I would like to comment briefly on Mr. Al Soud's remarks. I wanted to echo his thoughts. He read my mind and spoke for me.
We're talking about the state of the journalism and media sectors in Canada. As a government, or as elected officials, we shouldn't try to interfere with the content discussed in newsrooms. You, the media, have the ethical and intellectual capacity to decide what you feature and what news you broadcast on your various media platforms.
I could complain that we don't talk enough about Haiti, Sudan, Chad or South Africa, which went through apartheid. However, that isn't why we're here. We're here to find out what you—Mr. Desjardins, Mr. Epstein, Mr. Thiessen, Mr. Rooke and Ms. Dickenson—think about the current state of the journalism and media sectors in Canada.
I'll start with you, Ms. Dickenson.