In an interview with Rebel News, Elie Cantin-Nantel argued that government censorship, subsidies for legacy media, and press-gallery gatekeeping are creating a media landscape where independent voices are pushed out while establishment outlets remain protected.

Former True North journalist Elie Cantin-Nantel says Canada’s independent media sector is being crushed by Liberal legislation — and he knows it firsthand.

“When I decided to go on my own, I wanted to start a news organization,” he explained. “But the problem is, if you start a news organization in Canada today, you are censored on Facebook and Instagram because of Bill C-18.”

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Cantin-Nantel did not mince words, calling Bill C-18 “the worst piece of legislation a government has ever passed.” According to him, the Liberals’ answer is not real media freedom, but more government money for outlets they prefer.

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“They’re just giving more subsidies to their favourite media,” he said. “But I don’t want to get subsidized by the government.”

Instead, Cantin-Nantel launched a personal brand, which he says has grown rapidly.

“We grew by 350 percent in just a couple of months,” he said, adding that he now has “over 10,000 subscribers.”

But he says the system is stacked against new media entrepreneurs.

“It’s annoying that as a businessman, I cannot start a business in a field where there’s lots of demand… because of the government.”

He warned that Bill C-18 has been devastating for newer outlets.

“That is basically a sentence to death if you cannot be on Facebook and Instagram anymore,” he said. “It’s done much more harm than good.”

Cantin-Nantel also said these laws increase “dependency between legacy media and government,” which he called “not good for press freedom.”

On press access, he was equally blunt.

“I don’t think there should be a press gallery.”

He described it as “a club of people” where a dying industry “still controls access.”

“The press gallery has to go,” he said, calling instead for “objective criteria of accreditation.”

For Cantin-Nantel, the future of journalism depends on independence, transparency, and trust — not government subsidies.