Exclusive: Government briefing warned media bailout had 'accountability risks'

A memo prepared for then–Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge in 2024 raised significant concerns about the federal government's Local Journalism Initiative.

 

A federal briefing note obtained by Rebel News through Access to Information shows the government was warned that its multimillion-dollar journalism-funding program suffers from fundamental transparency and accountability problems.

Prepared for then–Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge in December 2024, the memo states plainly: “Current program delivery has resulted in risks relating to consistency, transparency and accountability as noted in the program’s recent evaluation.”

The document reviews the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), the federal subsidy program that pays select news outlets through six industry groups. According to the memo:

  • Program delivery varies widely between the organizations tasked with distributing taxpayer money.

  • Transparency gaps were directly identified by the department.

  • The overall structure carries significant accountability risks.

The internal evaluation covering 2019–2022 urged Heritage Canada to reconsider how the program is administered, citing “inconsistencies between how some deliver the program” and highlighting lost efficiency in how applications are processed.

Despite these warnings, Ottawa expanded responsibilities for the same organizations by adding a new funding stream under the “Changing Narratives Fund,” which officials acknowledge will “add delivery pressures.”

Government-run journalism funding doesn’t solve the industry’s problems — it creates new ones, including the very government accountability failures the media is meant to expose.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.

COMMENTS

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-11-26 21:21:16 -0500
    You’re doing exelent journalism, Sheila. And society doesn’t seem to care about corruption in government but viewers like I sure do.