Hearings continue today into the future of Quebec's print media at the National Assembly with Montreal's prominent English newspaper taking the stand and not mincing words.
Print media organizations across the province are urging the government to act quickly to save the industry.
Montreal Gazette editor-in-chief Lucinda Chodan spoke at length this morning about the challenges papers are facing.
Chodan repeated what other in the industry have said in that the government should move immediately to begin taxing the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple) tech giants for digital advertising revenue. The quartest of companies take up an estimated 80 per cent of all digital advertising revenue. Chodan also pushed for a reduction to the newspapers' recycling tax, which she said cost the Gazette $320,000 in 2018.
"If we present a united front across the country I think it will be a lot more powerful and successful in succeeding in making sure some of that revenue comes back to the enterprises that actually create content," she said.
The Gazette, Chodan said, has reduced its newsroom by 50 per cent since 2013.
"The reduction represents a threat for democracy in Quebec," said Chodan. "Without the Gazette and other media that cover the local and provincial news, a good part of the news that affects Quebecois will simply not be communicated."
Radio Canada Vice-President Michel Bissonnette testified as well Thursday, saying that while Rad-Can is independantly run, it does get its funding primarily from the government. He emphasized the importance of a diverse media for a functioning democracy and called for the government to offer help, so long as that help comes with a respect for independent journalism.
