Following a $595 million press bailout, the federal government is invoking confidentiality in refusing to detail cash payments to individual publishers. Newspaper executives mandated to help cabinet design terms of the bailout in 2019 agreed to conceal payments..“When I’m out and about a lot of people have congratulated me and told me it was a good thing for news media across the country,” Bob Cox, then-publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chair of News Media Canada, said in an interview at the time..According to Blacklock's Reporter, Cox chaired a panel of eight executives appointed by the Department of Canadian Heritage to design the subsidy plan..“There’s always self-interest,” said Cox. “We are an industry association.” When asked if actual payments should be disclosed, Cox replied, “We didn’t address that. I think the numbers should be included, but that’s my personal opinion.”.In 2019, parliament amended the Income Tax Act to pay 25% payroll rebates to a maximum $13,750 per newsroom employee at “qualified Canadian journalism organizations.” The Cox panel asked for up to 35% rebates..The Revenue Agency refused to disclose actual payments. “Since January 1, 2019 how much funding has each outlet received to date?” asked Conservative MP Chris Warkentin (Grande Prairie-Mackenzie, Alta. “Confidentiality provisions under section 241 of the Income Tax Act prevent the Agency from releasing taxpayer information,” replied Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier..The only payments disclosed to date were those identified by publicly traded companies like the publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press. The daily receives $1 million a year in payroll rebates..Only one newspaper executive cited fellow publishers for conflict of interest. “I won’t even file for our publication because I believe it is a conflict,” panelist Thomas Saras, president of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council, said in an interview at the time..“I do believe it is a conflict for someone who is presiding over an organization, then works on the panel to set criteria and then applies for the benefits themselves," said Saras..Martin O’Hanlon, president of the CWA Canada representing newsroom guilds, earlier described the bailout terms as conflicted. “Big publishers were salivating at the prospect of government money and they got it,” said O’Hanlon..“This is skewed heavily in favour of entrenched newspapers and their managers,” said O’Hanlon. “If this was supposed to be open and transparent, I don’t think that happened here. They chose the people they wanted to get the answers they wanted.”
Following a $595 million press bailout, the federal government is invoking confidentiality in refusing to detail cash payments to individual publishers. Newspaper executives mandated to help cabinet design terms of the bailout in 2019 agreed to conceal payments..“When I’m out and about a lot of people have congratulated me and told me it was a good thing for news media across the country,” Bob Cox, then-publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chair of News Media Canada, said in an interview at the time..According to Blacklock's Reporter, Cox chaired a panel of eight executives appointed by the Department of Canadian Heritage to design the subsidy plan..“There’s always self-interest,” said Cox. “We are an industry association.” When asked if actual payments should be disclosed, Cox replied, “We didn’t address that. I think the numbers should be included, but that’s my personal opinion.”.In 2019, parliament amended the Income Tax Act to pay 25% payroll rebates to a maximum $13,750 per newsroom employee at “qualified Canadian journalism organizations.” The Cox panel asked for up to 35% rebates..The Revenue Agency refused to disclose actual payments. “Since January 1, 2019 how much funding has each outlet received to date?” asked Conservative MP Chris Warkentin (Grande Prairie-Mackenzie, Alta. “Confidentiality provisions under section 241 of the Income Tax Act prevent the Agency from releasing taxpayer information,” replied Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier..The only payments disclosed to date were those identified by publicly traded companies like the publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press. The daily receives $1 million a year in payroll rebates..Only one newspaper executive cited fellow publishers for conflict of interest. “I won’t even file for our publication because I believe it is a conflict,” panelist Thomas Saras, president of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council, said in an interview at the time..“I do believe it is a conflict for someone who is presiding over an organization, then works on the panel to set criteria and then applies for the benefits themselves," said Saras..Martin O’Hanlon, president of the CWA Canada representing newsroom guilds, earlier described the bailout terms as conflicted. “Big publishers were salivating at the prospect of government money and they got it,” said O’Hanlon..“This is skewed heavily in favour of entrenched newspapers and their managers,” said O’Hanlon. “If this was supposed to be open and transparent, I don’t think that happened here. They chose the people they wanted to get the answers they wanted.”
