Secret Liberal Government Payments To Media Subvert Democracy
tax dollars are given to media organizations report on the election campaign and shape public perception?
NORTHERN, ONTARIO ~~~~~~~ August 11, 2021 (LSNews) It has been clear for some time that Canada is not really a fully democratic country, particularly within our political parties.
There is very little room for debate or disagreement within our centralized political institutions, where party leaders have the power to remove anyone they disagree with and basically end the careers of those who don’t ‘fall in line’ by refusing to sign nomination papers.
However, since Canadians are free to start new parties, and since parties are private institutions, a lack of democracy within parties doesn’t complete preclude Canadians from having democratic choice.
But, if the government was secretely giving away our taxpayer dollars to media organizations ahead of an election, that would constitute a much larger assault on democracy in Canada.
As you’ve probably guessed, that’s exactly what the Liberals have done.
According to Blacklock’s, the Trudeau government has given $61 million of your taxpayer dollars to publishers ahead of the election.
The government is calling it ’emergency relief,’ and is refusing to name who got the money:
“Feds won’t name publishers who got $61M in pre-#Elxn44 “emergency relief.” @S_Guilbeault says subsidies ensure Canadians get “timely info they need from their gov’t” https://blacklocks.ca/now-the subsidies-are-secret/ #cdnpoli @CdnHeritage”
As Blacklock’s points out, “Now The Subsidies Are Secret”:
“Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s department refuses to name publishers awarded nearly $61 million in pre-election “emergency relief.” The grants were to ensure readers receive “timely information they require from their government,” Guilbeault wrote in a letter to MPs: “Reliable news is perhaps more important than ever.””
When Guilbeault says ‘reliable news,’ he’s clearly talking about news the Liberals know will be favourable to them, rather than news Canadians can actually count on to be objective and unbiased.
This latest media bailout is the worst of them all, precisely because it is secret.
It’s OUR money the Liberals have taken through taxes, and then they are giving it to media outlets without us even being able to know who is getting it.
Dictatorship-style
This kind of secret media funding – on the eve of an election no less – is what you would expect to see in an authoritarian dictatorship, in a one-party-state.
To see it in Canada is another example of how far our country is straying from what our values are supposed to be.
“Remember: this is the same minister that has warned that comments that criticize his government may be censored.”
We’ve already seen the Liberal government give CBC an extra $500 million or so per year (which still isn’t enough as they keep begging for more taxpayer dollars).
Then, they created a $600 million media bailout fund to further entrench dependency on the state.
And of course, there have been various other ‘small’ bailouts to ‘help’ publishers, ‘helping’ in this case meaning making them subservient to the government.
The demise of ‘private establishment media’
There was once a clear delineation between state-run media like CBC, and private networks and newspapers.
However, that line is getting blurred more and more every day.
In a recent talk with @DahliaKurtz on her show “Good Mornings With Dahlia Kurtz,” I noted how Trudeau seems to not understand human nature when dealing with China, but understands it when seeking to influence the media:
Hot take on Justin Trudeau by @SpencerFernando:
“He doesn’t understand human nature when dealing with China. But he certainly understands it when dealing with the media.”
OUR CHAT Headphone: https://soundcloud.com/canadatalks/canadas-44th-federal-election-a-countdown-of-lies-from-our-political-leaders #cdnpoli
We can see this in how Trudeau understands that if he is the one deciding which media outlets to fund, and if those outlets need that money to survive, they in effect begin to work for him.
Of course, those outlets can claim all they want that the government money doesn’t impact them, and that they remain independent, but that’s not how human nature works.
Further, when you consider the fact that most journalists lean left anyway, that over 10,000 are members of Unifor (a group that is attacking the Conservatives in pre-election ads), and that they know the Conservatives are less likely to give them a bunch of media bailouts funded by tax dollars, then that creates the perfect storm for turning supposedly ‘private’ media institutions into quasi-state-run propaganda outlets.
The subversion of democracy
On top of all of this, there is also the attempt by the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to push forward with Bill C-10 and C-36.
Those pieces of legislation aren’t dead, since the NDP has said they will vote to pass them, meaning that even if there is an election and the Liberals regain power, they will simply bring in similar bills.
The combination of a compliant, state-funded media, restrictions on independent content creators, and new ‘hate speech’ laws that are a thinly-veiled proxy for ratcheting down the range of ‘legal & acceptable’ opinion in this country, and you have a nation that is moving closer and closer to a China-style information environment, where only state-approved outlets can share information, and where anyone who tries to share views and opinions that the government opposes will be targeted and punished.
More and more, we see that Justin Trudeau wasn’t at all joking around when he said he admired China’s ‘basic dictatorship.’ He clearly sees China as a model to emulate, and would much rather push Canada in that direction, rather than embracing the attitude of free thought, free speech, and free expression that is the core of the innovation and wealth of Western Civilization.
Canadians need to see what is right in front of us:
Our own government is using our tax dollars to subvert our democracy and reduce our freedom, and they plan to use that subversion to enhance their chances of winning the upcoming election. All regard for ‘fairness’ and democracy is being thrown out, for short-term political gain and an obsession with power.
It’s about as anti-Canadian as it gets, and the only thing standing in the way of that agenda is Independent Media, free from government influence, and reliant on the voluntary support of Canadians, rather than forced government-funding.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
Northern Ontario
Kenora, Rainy River, Dryden, Thunder Bay, Terrace Bay Marathon, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Ontario
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https://spencerfernando.com/
Spencer Fernando
Spencer Fernando is based in Winnipeg
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this opinion article or photos are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Lake Superior News / Lake Superior Media.