Information & Ethics committee  I’m here because I was invited. I did not ask to appear. I have done some research, and I’m giving you the outcome of that research, which shows that the first ones need to be concerned, meaning the Quebecor journalists themselves. They are the first witnesses of the ethical problems that they are experiencing in that company.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, that’s my opinion, as far as I understand it. I’m not an expert, but I have always asked for more accountability, and I've been asking for more accountability ever since 2002.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, I’m not a legal expert, so I don’t have the expertise required to comment on the matter, but allow me to point out that protecting the freedom of the press and applying the principle of fairness are two very important aspects in this type of decision. I was a journalist, and I know that there are expenses involved with journalistic activities that are not problematic when it comes to disclosure, whether it's where a press team went to conduct an interview or when the journalists went there.

Information & Ethics committee  It’s a business practice that is beyond my expertise. But if certain actions may close down small independent newspapers, it compromises the diversity of information in our society. It’s troublesome to me as a journalist. You know that the ethics of journalism also rests on material bases.

Information & Ethics committee  The concentration of media in Canada has always been a major concern, since the 1970s. We shouldn’t always equate plurality of the media with diversity of information. It only prevents us from having an opportunity for diversity when there are many types of media in one region.

Information & Ethics committee  To give you an absolutely clear answer, we would need to conduct a very thorough investigation into how Quebecor operates. It remains that how media outlets make assignments generally varies. Some journalists have a lot of freedom. That’s the case for specialized journalists. The managers in the press room must deliver a media product.

Information & Ethics committee  Not in this case because it comes more under the interpretation of an act. But I don’t have the legal expertise to get involved in this highly legal debate.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm not going to be as specific as you in your question. Having been an expert in cases that have gone as far as the Supreme Court, I would say that generally a person waits for the ruling of the courts before seeing whether the legislation should be changed or not. Seeing that there is a parallel debate while the case is before the courts is sort of what makes the political scientist and journalism professor in me a little uncomfortable.

Information & Ethics committee  Operating the business that way isn’t illegal. Mr. Péladeau and the executives of Quebecor have the right to run it the way they want to. But we also have the right to be critical of how they do it. Mr. Péladeau—and this isn’t personal, but I’m using his name because he's the face of Quebecor, he’s the boss—never hid the fact that he needed to use his media to promote his media and cultural products, meaning the promotion of Quebecor interests, to give value to the company’s shares on the market.

Information & Ethics committee  Okay. In principle, the media should ensure the quality and integrity of the information. When orders like that arrive, it attacks the credibility and ethics of a newspaper business.

Information & Ethics committee  Of course, I understand that’s the committee's reason.

Information & Ethics committee  I’m not familiar with the Olympic spending file. I don’t know what that budget covered. Certainly it covered travel, accommodation and journalistic activities. It’s not my place to interpret the legislation. But I fully agree with you: the work of journalists includes making access to information requests on topics of public interest.

Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely. Otherwise the journalistic value of the information may disappear fairly rapidly, in some cases. But this isn’t the case in all situations. Some topics are still relevant, but sometimes the journalistic value of the news is reduced over time, it declines.

Information & Ethics committee  Last year, when this public testimony was taking place, I tried to obtain concrete evidence of this. I did find an email showing the order that was passed, from one level to another, to have a journalist write about another journalist that was being called a “bitch”, “big dirty disgusting”, and a “stupid imbecile”.

Information & Ethics committee  People were asked to talk about her in the newspaper the next day and call her those names to see how she reacted. The email indicated that people would not know it was her. Smear her, with many photos of the bitch… So we’re talking about a journalist whose reputation was unfortunately to be tarnished in the newspaper the next day.