Liberal members support more media bailouts, eliminating anonymous sources
In 2022, the Trudeau Liberals did not detail individual payments to media as part of its extensive $595 million taxpayer handout to the industry. Instead, they invoked confidentiality.
At the in-person Liberal Party convention, grassroots members voted to increase taxpayer subsidies for Canadian media. Terrifyingly, the same press must also make public their anonymous sources.
While the vote on 24 policies is non-binding in Ottawa, Resolution 472 garnered inspiration from the United Nations Secretary-General, who said disinformation poses an ‘existential risk to humanity.’
According to the Liberal B.C. wing, online platforms contain the most disinformation for Canadians to consume. They claimed that avenues which spread misinformation “seek to undermine trust in people and institutions, including mainstream media and governments.”
Last July, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said unregulated political discussion and disinformation “erodes the foundations of democracy.”
Staff suggest that disinformation severely impacts conversations on policy disagreements. They explained it harms democracy, polarizes people, and reduces social dialogue to aggressive encounters.
However, according to a poll, over seven in ten (71%) Canadians do not trust government accounts of events. To reduce costs, the wing urged media not to fill space with opinion journalism, as it “has devalued mainstream media as a source of news and information.”
WATCH: @EzraLevant explains the intention of Bill C-18 and the impact it would have on 'unapproved' Canadian journalists.https://t.co/857InU3JXu
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) April 10, 2023
“Be it resolved that the Liberal Party of Canada Request the Government provide additional public funds to support advertisement-free news and information reporting by Canadian media through an arm’s-length non-partisan mechanism,” said Resolution 472.
“Request the Government explore options to hold online information services accountable for the veracity of material published on their platforms and to limit publication only to material whose sources can be traced.”
In 2022, the Trudeau Liberals did not detail individual payments to media as part of its extensive $595 million taxpayer handout to the industry. Instead, they invoked confidentiality. “Confidentiality provisions under Section 241 of the Income Tax Act prevent the Agency from releasing taxpayer information,” said Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier at the time.
Newspaper executives mandated to help the cabinet design terms of the bailout in 2019 agreed to conceal payments.
In 2019, parliament amended the Income Tax Act to pay 25% payroll rebates to a maximum of $13,750 per newsroom employee at “qualified Canadian journalism organizations.” It is only known that The Winnipeg Free Press receives $1 million annually in payroll rebates.
Rebel News boss @EzraLevant raises concerns over Trudeau's online censorship efforts to Facebook rep Rachel Curran and Conservative @SenatorHousakos.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 30, 2023
Both are opposed to bills C-11 and C-18.https://t.co/1YG82sBZQ2 pic.twitter.com/EEKhBGJWI3
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