Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative government, if elected, would end all federal media subsidies, the opposition leader told a small-town subsidized weekly publication. Media would rely on private revenue as they did for centuries, said Poilievre as quoted in The Lake Report of Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, which received $19,367 in federal subsidies last year from the Department of Canadian Heritage, records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter show. “Sell subscriptions and advertising, get sponsorships and do what media have done for, I don’t know, 3,000 years,” said Poilievre. “How has the media funded itself for 3,000 years?”“Subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships. That’s how it has worked for 3,000 years.”The Lake Report also received a free reporter at taxpayers’ expense under the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), a federal program that pays 100% of the cost of select staff. The publication asked if Poilievre would eliminate the LJI. “I am looking into it,” replied Poilievre. He said federal subsidies had resulted in publishers printing “regurgitated propaganda paid for by taxpayers.”“The question is, how do we bring back free speech?”Parliament in 2019 amended the Income Tax Act to pay rebates of up to $13,750 per employee of cabinet-approved newsrooms. Payroll rebates this past April 1 were doubled to a maximum $29,750 per employee. Rebates are to expire after the next election.Poilievre has criticized subsidies as a cabinet scheme to “leverage news coverage in its favour,” he told reporters last January 12. Subsidized publishers are not obliged to disclose the value of federal aid they pocket annually.“We are going to make sure the government does not use tax dollars to leverage news coverage in its favour,” he said.“Right now Justin Trudeau is censoring those he disagrees with and trying to buy off the rest. That undermines confidence among Canadians in news media.”Poilievre in a subsequent February 12 exchange with reporters said media corporations soliciting taxpayers’ subsidies were “bought and paid for.” His comments came as Poilievre was repeatedly interrupted by a Canadian Press employee while discussing public affairs with other reporters.“Canadian Press, you are a tax-funded mouthpiece to the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Poilievre. “That is the reality.”“Our Party does not support tax dollars for media outlets because that’s when we wind up with biased media like you who come here and articulate the Prime Minister’s Office talking points rather than delivering real news to the Canadian people.”Government caucus members have defended media subsidies as popular. “I think it’s important that sometimes what you may hear from Conservative MPs may not actually reflect the will of Canadians,” Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed told a November 23 hearing of the Commons Heritage Committee.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative government, if elected, would end all federal media subsidies, the opposition leader told a small-town subsidized weekly publication. Media would rely on private revenue as they did for centuries, said Poilievre as quoted in The Lake Report of Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, which received $19,367 in federal subsidies last year from the Department of Canadian Heritage, records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter show. “Sell subscriptions and advertising, get sponsorships and do what media have done for, I don’t know, 3,000 years,” said Poilievre. “How has the media funded itself for 3,000 years?”“Subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships. That’s how it has worked for 3,000 years.”The Lake Report also received a free reporter at taxpayers’ expense under the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), a federal program that pays 100% of the cost of select staff. The publication asked if Poilievre would eliminate the LJI. “I am looking into it,” replied Poilievre. He said federal subsidies had resulted in publishers printing “regurgitated propaganda paid for by taxpayers.”“The question is, how do we bring back free speech?”Parliament in 2019 amended the Income Tax Act to pay rebates of up to $13,750 per employee of cabinet-approved newsrooms. Payroll rebates this past April 1 were doubled to a maximum $29,750 per employee. Rebates are to expire after the next election.Poilievre has criticized subsidies as a cabinet scheme to “leverage news coverage in its favour,” he told reporters last January 12. Subsidized publishers are not obliged to disclose the value of federal aid they pocket annually.“We are going to make sure the government does not use tax dollars to leverage news coverage in its favour,” he said.“Right now Justin Trudeau is censoring those he disagrees with and trying to buy off the rest. That undermines confidence among Canadians in news media.”Poilievre in a subsequent February 12 exchange with reporters said media corporations soliciting taxpayers’ subsidies were “bought and paid for.” His comments came as Poilievre was repeatedly interrupted by a Canadian Press employee while discussing public affairs with other reporters.“Canadian Press, you are a tax-funded mouthpiece to the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Poilievre. “That is the reality.”“Our Party does not support tax dollars for media outlets because that’s when we wind up with biased media like you who come here and articulate the Prime Minister’s Office talking points rather than delivering real news to the Canadian people.”Government caucus members have defended media subsidies as popular. “I think it’s important that sometimes what you may hear from Conservative MPs may not actually reflect the will of Canadians,” Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed told a November 23 hearing of the Commons Heritage Committee.
