When Trudeau decided to create a slush fund for newspapers who felt they needed extra dollars there was a lot of concern over how criteria was designed. Rex Murphy recently wrote and excellent column here.
While REBEL is the issue today, what will happen down the road? While I personally don’t read, watch or follow anything that media outlet does, and yes, I know who they are, Canadians should be concerned about how the decision making is done, who does it and the impact on freedom of the press.
Freedom of the press can be attacked because of the amount of fake news out there, but, do you want government bureaucrats deciding who is good and who is bad? Who gets money from the Liberal government slush fund and who doesn’t? Perhaps the bigger question is why is there a slush fund in the first place?
There is not a government or politician out there, regardless of party, who doesn’t dislike some segment of Canadian media.
If you think programs are not designed with application criteria specifically to prevent a company from applying as Murphy suggests, think again.
Anyone who has been a political staffer in a minister’s office, the OLO, or PMO knows this is done and quite often too. Think of tender documents for defence contracts, government supplies, standing contracts and so on.
The Trudeau Liberals have lots of ideas on how to regulate the media, assist some media, reign in the internet and fake news etc.
Watch them closely.
