Canada's NDP

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August 14th, 2019

NDP Statement on the Future of Canadian Media

The NDP issued the following statement:

"Today, we learned that Capitales Médias Group is in jeopardy of folding in the near future. As the owner of several regional dailies in Quebec, its disappearance will inevitably lead to major job losses. As a result, many cities in Quebec could find themselves without a local media outlet.

The media crisis in Canada is real and getting worse every day. More than 16,000 jobs have been lost in the last 10 years. The difficulties that Groupe Capitales Médias are facing are not isolated, but instead reflect difficulties affecting the entire media industry.

The Liberals' inaction over the past four years has put our democracy, the competitiveness of our media companies, and Quebec's cultural distinction at risk. Instead of tackling the problem and putting all media on an equal footing, Justin Trudeau's Liberal government continues to give tax breaks to web giants – corporations that hide their profits in tax havens.

The time for rhetoric is over! We need a global solution that also takes regional needs into account. The NDP is the only party standing up and demanding that our traditional media be treated fairly. A healthy media industry is essential for our democracy, and Canadians deserve to receive quality information. New Democrats are calling on the federal government to end, once and for all, the privileged treatment and tax breaks given to web giants."