As Bell Media blamed regulators and policymakers for its decision to announce a fresh round of layoffs Thursday, federal and provincial politicians accused the company of unnecessarily killing off local journalism.
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge decried the company for breaking its promise to invest in news after it was granted more than $40 million in annual regulatory relief.
That害羞草研究所檚 the same amount the company said its news division, which includes CTV News and BNN Bloomberg, is losing annually.
Facing $40 million in annual operating losses, Bell Media害羞草研究所檚 parent company, BCE Inc., announced it was cutting 4,800 jobs. BCE Inc. has an operating revenue totaling $6.7 billion, up from $6.44 billion a year earlier.
害羞草研究所淭hey are not going bankrupt. They害羞草研究所檙e still making billions of dollars. They害羞草研究所檙e still a very profitable company,害羞草研究所� St-Onge said Thursday on Parliament Hill.
害羞草研究所淎nd they still have the capacity and the means to hold their end of the bargain, which is to deliver news reports.害羞草研究所�
St-Onge said the government has worked to help the news industry, and at some point companies have to chip in, too.
The Liberals害羞草研究所� update to broadcasting law, the Online Streaming Act, came into effect last April. It abolished certain licensing fees, which St-Onge said will save the company some $40 million a year.
Bell Media is also expected to receive money because of the Liberals害羞草研究所� Online News Act, which came into effect late last year.
Broadcasters are expected to receive $30 million through a side deal the government struck with Google.
It agreed to pay news outlets $100 million a year to avoid being regulated under the new law, which requires tech giants to compensate news producers for content that is shared on their platforms, and from which they financially benefit.
Still, Bell Media is blaming its cuts on the federal government, saying Ottawa took too long to provide relief for media companies.
It also blames the Canadian Radio-television Commission, saying the regulator is too slow to react to a 害羞草研究所渃risis that is immediate.害羞草研究所�
The CRTC is expected to release final regulations aimed at helping the news industry in the coming months. Until then, St-Onge said, 害羞草研究所渨e need everybody to hold strong.害羞草研究所�
Labour Minister Seamus O害羞草研究所橰egan, a former journalist, said Thursday that the layoffs are 害羞草研究所渁trocious害羞草研究所� and it害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渉ard seeing journalists being treated as rounding errors in what I think are healthy profit margins.害羞草研究所�
And British Columbia Premier David Eby said Bell Media has 害羞草研究所渙verseen the 害羞草研究所榚n-crap-ification害羞草研究所� of local news.害羞草研究所�
He said the layoffs 害羞草研究所� along with the sale of 45 of the company害羞草研究所檚 113 regional radio stations 害羞草研究所� is 害羞草研究所渃atastrophic.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淏ell and corporations like Bell have overseen the assembly of local media assets that are treasures to local communities. They bought them up. Like corporate vampires, they sucked the life out of them, laying off journalists,害羞草研究所� Eby said Thursday.
The federal NDP said this should serve as a wake-up call for Ottawa and its relationship with corporations.
害羞草研究所淭he federal government needs to start showing leadership, first off, and any funding that is going to Bell or any other corporation needs to come with the key guarantees in terms of jobs and maintaining professional journalism,害羞草研究所� NDP House leader Peter Julian said.
When St-Onge was pressed on the cuts by the Bloc Qu茅b茅cois during question period, she stated in French that the Liberal government would not be giving any more money to billionaire companies.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre responded to the cuts on Thursday by placing blame on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
He said high taxes, burdensome red tape and an uncompetitive business environment 害羞草研究所渋s driving our jobs and our money out of the country to foreign nations that are prospering at our expense.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所� With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa and Sammy Hudes in Toronto.
Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press
