How unsurprising to hear the Liberal government has nixed the idea of throwing a pecuniary lifeline to struggling Canadian media.
As reported in the gutter press, the Public Policy Forum last month proposed tax changes to bankroll a multi-million dollar slush fund to save the likes of Postmedia, prop. Paul Godfrey (retention bonus $900K!—shurely shome mishtake?!)
Naturally, the recommendation of a Liberal bail-out prompted the punditocracy to whinge about politicizing of the media, freedom of the press, blah de blah–and the Liberals hastily retreated.
“There’s no way we’re doing this,” Libs told the HuffPost, while Heritage Minister Melanie Joly (for it is she), effectively threw the PPF’s $200K report into the shredder: “We will be bringing forward in 2017 an entire new model on how to support Canadian content.”
Of course, the Liberals don’t really need a formal program, since they already have a scheme in place to politicize the media.
Consider that in the 16 months since their election in 2015, the Liberals have hired five Parliament Hill journos as communications directors/advisors:
Mark Kennedy, former Ottawa Citizen parliamentary bureau chief to the PMO as “communications advisor;”
James Cudmore, CBC Parliament Hill reporter to Defence Minister Die Harjit Sajjan’s office as “policy advisor;”
James Fitz-Morris, CBC Parliament Hill hack now DComm for Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism;
Bruce Cheadle, Canadian Press on Parl Hill now DComm for Scott Brison, Treasury Board;
Brian Laghi, Globe and Mail Hill hack, now DComm for Liberals in the Senate.
David Taylor, CTV National News thingy, now DComm for Liberal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
By comparison, over their 10-year interregnum, the Tories purchased only three political reporters for the dark side (sunny days, shurely?!—ed.):
Bob Patterson of CTV to Bev Oda’s office, Kris Sims of the Sun to Erin O’Toole, Daniel Proussalidis of the Sun with Jason Kenney, Dan Dugas of CP to Justice Min. Peter MacKay.
All hail the Liberal Party of Canada, saving Canadian journalism, one hack at a time.
Our media Liberal hacks…really, who’d a thought,
addition: Dan Dugas worked for Peter MacKay.
What about Perischelli to PMO?
Don’t recall he was a journo, covering day-to-day politics on the Hill.
No room in the canoe for Slaphead Mansbridge?
The illustration “U.S. Government Jobs ad, 1932” shows how desperate the times were/are now.
Peter O’Neil (@poneilinOttawa) FORMER Ottawa correspondent @VancouverSun @TheProvince in Vancouver, B.C. left (buyout) last week, but hasn’t yet announced a government job.
As a former Canwest/Postmedia European correspondent, he might be heading overseas.
Nope. Peter O’Neil stays in Ottawah
“The Vancouver Sun’s former parliamentary reporter Peter O’Neil has joined the Privy Council Office as a senior analyst.
A PCO spokesperson confirmed that O’Neil — who worked as the Sun’s Ottawa correspondent for nearly 30 years — started his new position March 13 and that his duties “will include supporting the democratic institutions minister and speechwriting.””