Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon.
Thank you to all the witnesses for their participation and opening remarks. We certainly appreciate it.
I, too, have questions for the Hebdos Québec representatives.
As you pointed out, you are simultaneously being battered by two storms, or crises. In the face of competition from Facebook, Google and other web giants, weekly newspapers are suffering. On top of that, their revenues are declining because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Something you said struck me—the number of newspaper titles has dropped from 200 to just 113 in the past few years. That's almost half. The ones that remain have had to tighten their belts, cutting staff by 20%. Nevertheless, you clearly provide communities with an essential service. Access to high-quality local news is crucial.
You pointed to a number of issues, including the fact that the government buys more ads from web giants than it does from your members' online services. You said the federal government had introduced support measures, but they obviously aren't cutting it.
As far as any new legislation is concerned, you brought up the model adopted by Australia. Can you tell us more about it? What does Ottawa need to do to ensure the continuity of the essential service you provide?