The bill contains some provisions that specify the types of media companies that will qualify for assistance.
From what I can see, this tax credit is the only tax credit that would be handled by an independent group, outside the Canada Revenue Agency. In addition, Division 43(2)(a)(v)(B) states that the news content:
must not be primarily focused on a particular topic such as industry-specific news, sports, recreation, arts, lifestyle or entertainment,
As my NDP colleague said, we asked the officials whether criteria had been established, such as 25%, 20% or 15%. Normally, the criteria to qualify for tax credits are clearly set out in the legislation. In this case, this doesn't seem to have happened.
Department of Finance officials told our Senate colleagues today that there will be an A list of previously approved media companies that will qualify for tax credits. The public will have difficulty accepting that some media companies are entitled to special treatment by the government.