Media lobbyist demands mountains of taxpayer cash for “foundational” CBC

Author: Alex Dhaliwal

News Media Canada CEO Paul Deegan urged MPs to maintain Covid-era payroll rebates at up to $29,750 per employee.

The chief lobbyist for taxpayer-funded media says outlets such as the CBC and the Globe and Mail are “foundational” to Canadians while arguing for long-term subsidies with no spending restrictions.

“The written word, text-based journalism tends to be foundational in terms of what is often used in radio and television,” testified Paul Deegan, CEO of News Media Canada.

“If you are watching CBC at night, often the lead story on The National is something that Bob Fife and Steve Chase broke in the Globe & Mail that morning,” he told the Commons finance committee. “We work very closely with our partners, with the broadcasters.”

On Thursday, Deegan urged MPs to maintain COVID-era newsroom payroll rebates at up to $29,750 per employee, rather than allowing them to drop to $13,750 next year.

“The Government of Canada, I have to say, has been terrific over the last number of years on policies supporting the news publishing sector,” he said. “I think they recognize the value.”

However, Privy Council research found that few Canadians support making aid to the news industry a federal priority, with only a small minority ranking it among the government’s top concerns.

It also found many Canadians believe news has become more opinion-driven and sensationalized, making it harder to determine what is true.