OTTAWA – It took three years to produce and then five months to decide that the Senate Committee’s Final Report on Canadian News Media will, in essence, be shelved.
As reported in June by Cartt.ca, Senators made a number of recommendations to government on how to improve news and information getting to Canadians – not to mention the CRTC and CBC (come to think of it, some of those topics have been front-and-centre at the TV Policy Review hearings that began November 27th, but we digress…).
For example, to stem the effects of mega-mergers, the Competition Bureau should review proposed mergers that would grant too much market share, the senators said, suggesting a threshold of 35% audience or subscriber share, we reported in the summer.
The CRTC’s mandate should be changed to allow it to review proposed broadcast news media mergers and consider the public interest, the report urged. The Broadcasting Act should also be amended to “give a clear priority to news and information programming within the Canadian broadcasting system.”
The committee would also, for example, boost the CBC’s funding to a level where it would no longer require advertising, give the CRTC permission to levy fines on broadcasters who violate their terms of license, make sure all news outlets become required to state regularly in their publications or their broadcasts, the identity of the controlling shareholders, and amend the Broadcasting Act so that news and information programming gets priority.
Last week, the Department of Canadian Heritage quietly issued its response, which is worded in a way that will most certainly see this report consigned to the myriad "dead report" shelves on Parliament Hill.
"(T)he Government’s consideration of the Senate Committee’s report will continue as part of its ongoing analysis of the numerous issues challenging the Canadian media environment, now and in the future," says the Ministry’s Introduction.
"The Government believes that the balance contained in the current legislative, regulatory, and policy frameworks, supported by various government programs, has served Canadians well," says the Heritage Ministry’s conclusion, which was signed off on by Minister Bev Oda.
"This balance has also ensured that media organizations remain economically viable, sustainable, and able to evolve in a rapidly changing global environment. This response confirms the Government’s commitment to encouraging and supporting the Canadian media sector, while ensuring that the Government’s legislative, regulatory, and policy frameworks have the flexibility required to adapt to economic, social, and cultural change.
"While the Senate Committee raises concerns about recent trends in cross-media ownership and consolidation and the potential impact that this may have on the provision of news and information content, it is important to reiterate that Canada has a highly diverse, dynamic, and economically viable news media sector, a fact recognized by the Senate Committee in its report."
