Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Gourde. I have two points to make. First, we have the ecosystem itself. I think that things will become harder and harder for non‑diverse media companies. However, I think that things will be easier for media that have a range of properties and capabilities. I think that Mr.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you for your question, Mr. Champoux. Obviously, we bought the stations to grow them, not to keep them as they are. That said, the stations are in good shape. We've bought stations that were in worse shape. Initially, we bought a lot of stations that were on the verge of going bankrupt or technically bankrupt, and we were able to turn them around.

Canadian Heritage committee  Our structure ensures extremely robust media.

Canadian Heritage committee  Undoubtedly. The shift to a digital platform should have already taken place. La Presse took the plunge a long time ago. That newspaper has been on a digital platform for 20 years. That said, in addition to the digital platform—

Canadian Heritage committee  It's over, isn't it?

Canadian Heritage committee  Oh, okay.

Canadian Heritage committee  Right now, regional commercial radio is losing big. We're getting the short end of the stick compared to print media, television, community radio and, of course, CBC/Radio-Canada. Commercial radio stations that produce news are being treated as a less worthy news source. I will close by saying that making sure at least a minimum amount of information reaches all parts of the country is the best way to protect the health of our democracy.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, honourable members. I would like to begin by thanking you for allowing me to share my observations and comments on a sensitive topic that, in my opinion, directly affects the maintenance of a healthy democracy: the future of news media, specifically, independent commercial radio stations located outside major urban centres.