Media outlets urge Manitoba government to buy more ads on their platforms, consider tax credit for salaries

Ian Froese · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 5:33 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Several journalism managers accidental the Manitoba authorities tin assistance their media outlets past without spending immoderate further money.

A nationalist proceeding connected section journalism was told Wednesday that the authorities tin enactment outlets by reallocating some of the advertizing wealth it spends connected different platforms, specified arsenic planetary societal media sites, toward their operations. 

"It's not caller money. It's wealth that already exists, and to redirect them from American tech giants and put this wealth backmost into section journalism," Sophie Gaulin, editor-in-chief of the French-language La Liberté newspaper, said aft presenting to the all-party committee.

An all-party committee is looking into ways to enactment bequest media outlets after galore newspapers, tv and vigor outlets person either disappeared oregon reduced services implicit the years.

Gaulin said her play work is "alive and well," but implicit time, they've printed fewer pages, due to the fact that advertizing has declined and their erstwhile leafage number is nary longer affordable. Her work present prints 20 pages a week, alternatively than the 32-page average when she took implicit the paper successful 2009.

The government's advertizing walk successful her publication has besides dropped implicit time, she said, arsenic the state prioritizes spending connected online exertion giants specified as Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, wherever an expanding fig of radical are spending their time.

Gaulin recommends the Manitoba authorities dedicate 25 per cent of its advertising to section journalism outlets, which would reflector the spending directive for Ontario's four largest authorities agencies.

"This is 1 of the simplest, astir effectual actions you tin take," she told the proceeding at the RBC Convention Centre successful Winnipeg.

Pilipino Express, a volunteer-run quality mag serving the Filipino community, besides requested an summation successful authorities advertizing spending but didn't specify an nonstop amount.

Crown corporations and idiosyncratic MLAs bargain ads from Pilipino Express, but not the authorities itself, the proceeding was told. The work is funded wholly done advertisements. 

"We're not greedy," editor-in-chief Emmie Joaquin said. "I cognize the authorities has an advertizing budget, truthful a small spot of that would truly assistance the section media — not lone america but different taste TV, radio, particularly those that don't person that overmuch funding."

The national authorities provides fiscal enactment to journalism done assorted grants and taxation credits. Government backing accounts for astir 70 per cent of CBC/Radio-Canada's budget.

Ask seems reasonable: Tories

Progressive Conservative MLA Greg Nesbitt, who owned a fewer newspapers successful occidental Manitoba earlier selling them to his son, sits connected the all-party committee.

He said the ask from these media outlets seems reasonable.

"After all, that's the assemblage [the Manitoba authorities is] looking for, truthful they should beryllium advertizing successful Manitoba publications."

A deficiency of authorities advertizing whitethorn person sunk the committee's efforts to clasp its archetypal proceeding successful Gimli past week. The authorities didn't advertise the lawsuit successful section media but relied alternatively connected promoting the lawsuit done its ain channels, including a quality merchandise and the EngageMB.ca website, arsenic archetypal reported successful the Winnipeg Free Press.

The proceeding was cancelled due to the fact that nary 1 signed up to speak.

"Many radical person said to me, 'We didn't spot thing astir this committee. How bash we find retired astir it?' There was 1 quality release, that was it," Nesbitt said.

After cancelling the Gimli hearing, the state bought ads in the Winnipeg Free Press, the Brandon Sun and immoderate agrarian media outlets, a authorities spokesperson said Wednesday.

In summation to the petition for higher advertisement spending, French-language vigor presumption Envol 91, on with La Liberté, asked astatine Wednesday's proceeding that the authorities follow a refundable tax recognition connected journalist salaries. The thought was adopted successful Quebec successful 2019 to enactment people media outlets.

"That taxation recognition would truly beryllium thing that would assistance america not conscionable survive, but thrive, and volition assistance america turn and beryllium capable to, successful our case, scope retired to arsenic galore francophones and radical that are funny successful French arsenic possible," said Denis-Michel Thibeault, enforcement manager of Envol 91 FM.

More hearings planned

Meanwhile, U Multicultural — a multilingual TV transmission and vigor presumption — is proposing the authorities make a media money that supports operational costs and grooming for assemblage outlets.

The outlet was granted a broadcast licence for escaped over-the-air carriage for its TV transmission successful the Winnipeg area, connected Channel 14, on with a vigor presumption licence astatine 88.7 FM. A motorboat day hasn't been announced.

NDP MLA Robert Loiselle, who is chairing the committee, said further nationalist hearings are planned adjacent week successful Brandon and Winkler, and determination volition beryllium a virtual meeting.

The committee's study connected its work will beryllium presented in fall.

Loiselle wouldn't committedness immoderate circumstantial supports, but the ensuing statement successful the legislature volition supply a "path guardant connected however we tin amended enactment section media present successful Manitoba," helium said.