The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage met to study the state of the journalism and media sectors. Appearing as witnesses were Murray Wood, Vice-President of News Talk Programming at Rawlco Radio; Sarah Spring, Executive Director of the Canadian Journalism Collective; Benoit Chartier and Sylvain Poisson from Hebdos Québec; Robert Ranger and Sébastien Côté from RNC Media Inc.; and Cindy Simard and Pierre Harvey from Télé Inter-Rives Ltée.
Murray Wood, drawing on 45 years in radio news, argued that local radio remains essential for trusted, immediate information during emergencies and community events, and that a viable business model exists when ownership prioritizes local service. He recommended that the federal government allocate a significant portion of its advertising budget—currently mostly going to foreign digital platforms—to local Canadian-owned media, and that governments view a healthy media sector as deserving of support measures like other vital industries.
Sarah Spring explained that the Canadian Journalism Collective distributes $100 million annually from Google to eligible news businesses under the Online News Act, using a governance model representing diverse news sectors. She reported that most recipients say the funds help maintain operations but not yet expand them, and that the collective ensures equitable distribution by using a uniform dollar amount per eligible hour for all applicants, regardless of size.
Benoit Chartier and Sylvain Poisson stated that the Online News Act and the 35% journalism labour tax credit have provided stability for Quebec’s weekly newspapers, but they expressed deep concern about the tax credit dropping to 25% in 2027. They called for a single, advantageous Canada Post rate for blanket distribution of print media and for special status to prevent delivery stoppages, and they criticized federal advertising spending, noting that only 1% of the $78 million budget went to print media in 2024-25 while most went to foreign digital giants.
Robert Ranger and Sébastien Côté described RNC Media as an essential local news service facing unsustainable deficits because the Independent Local News Fund’s revenue has been cut by 50% after Corus stations were added without the promised digital-giant contributions materializing due to court challenges. They requested monthly compensation of $1.5 million for ILNF stations, extension of the journalism labour tax credit to broadcasting licence holders, and a government advertising distribution act capping digital platform spending at 50%.
Cindy Simard and Pierre Harvey stated that without the ILNF, their three local television stations would not be operating, and that the fund’s reduction by 50% since May 2025 has created untenable deficits. They requested monthly repayable loans of $1.5 million for ILNF stations, alternative permanent funding if the Online Streaming Act is repealed, and a refundable tax credit on newsroom salaries, and they noted that Radio-Canada’s expansion into their regions with higher salaries makes it hard to retain trained journalists.
The committee briefly discussed scheduling the minister for estimates, agreeing on May 26 or 28.
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