Madam Speaker, I am pleased to continue the debate on the issue raised by my colleague, the hon. member for Essex.
The government recognizes that a reliable, local and dynamic ecosystem of news media is one of the pillars of democracy and that any government support of news media must not interfere with journalistic independence.
To this end, in its fall economic statement, the government announced three new initiatives in support of journalism, including two tax credits and a fiscal measure to encourage charitable donations to not-for-profit news organizations. The government also confirmed its $50-million initiative over five years to support local journalism in underserved communities.
The government will continue to consider any proposal likely to improve how Canadians access reliable local news.
Canadians expect to be able to benefit from an open and innovative Internet and to have access to high-quality Canadian content in an ever-expanding digital world.
New technology, like streaming services, has changed the way Canadians discover, access and consume content. Now more than ever, Canadians go online. To keep up with these changes, our legislative framework needs to be modernized so that Canadian creators, consumers and broadcasters can adapt and thrive in a changing environment.
In June 2018, as committed to in budget 2018, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the launch of a review of the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act. The Radiocommunication Act will also be reviewed.
The review will update and modernize the legislative framework in a balanced way that takes into account the realities of Canadian consumers, creators and broadcasters.
The review will examine how to best support the creation, production and distribution of Canadian content in both English and French. It will also focus on updating and modernizing the broadcasting system by determining how all stakeholders are reflected within it and can contribute to it.
It is important to find a way to support the continued creation and production of Canadian content.
Our legislation will be based on the very simple principle that those who participate in the system contribute to the system.
There will be no free rides.