Mr. Speaker, happy World Press Freedom Day, a day we recommit ourselves to truly free and independent media.
While some of us in politics can relate to the sentiment from Napoleon that said “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets”, we all must remain dedicated to that free expression.
However, around the world, the trend is troubling. The recent report from Reporters Without Borders shows that only a quarter of the world enjoys a truly free press. Far too many journalists continue to face persecution and even death when trying to expose the truth in repressive regimes.
Here in Canada, critical stories like the opioid crisis, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the SNC-Lavalin debacle were all exposed by a professional and determined press corps.
As Albert Camus once said, “A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom the press will never be anything but bad.”
We thank our colleagues in the media for their diligence, dedication and passion.