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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 255

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23
Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)
  • Nov/24/23 11:40:40 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, less than a month ago, Québecor announced it was cutting 547 jobs, a third of its staff, but the fact that our television is in crisis does not seem to bother the Minister of Canadian Heritage. There is nothing in the economic statement, not one red cent, for our television and radio. The media crisis is a crisis of democracy. Access to information is under threat, especially in the regions. What is really under threat is the advancement of our culture and our sense of belonging. The minister, who sees perfectly well what is going on, is doing nothing. Why?
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Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23
Hon. Pascale St-Onge (Minister of Canadian Heritage, Lib.)
  • Nov/24/23 11:41:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague on the fact that the media is in crisis. That is why we have been there since day one, bringing in new programs to support our news media. We have also modernized the Broadcasting Act. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission—
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Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23
Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)
  • Nov/24/23 11:42:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the work started a long time ago. We should be seeing results by now. This morning, I sent the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Canadian Heritage a bunch of reactions from people in the cultural sector. They are all livid. They are furious that the economic statement had nothing in it for them. Even the Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture, which is well known to the minister, joined us in criticizing the fact that the economic statement had completely sidelined the electronic media. The Bloc Québécois was asking for a $50‑million emergency fund to help out the media while the Minister of Canadian Heritage wraps up negotiations with the web giants. For the federal government, $50 million is nothing, but for our media, it would be huge. Ottawa's reasons for refusing to create an emergency fund are political, not financial. Why did the minister choose to turn her back on our news media, especially our electronic media?
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