Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, at a press conference on October 23
Francois Carabin to Alma
10:13 p.m.
- Quebec
To avoid a shift in “democracy”, the State should invest more in media payroll, in addition to extending journalistic tax credits to the electronic press, according to the Parti Québécois (PQ).
This is one of seven measures presented Thursday by the sovereignist party in its “plan to preserve regional information”. “Journalism is an essential function to society, because without this function, there is no democracy,” indicated its leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, as his pre-sessional caucus ended, in Alma.
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Currently, the Quebec government offers print media newsrooms a tax credit equivalent to “35% of salaries”. Electronic media, such as television and radio, do not have access to it.
In its plan released Thursday, “PSPP” commits to “expanding the tax credit […] to journalism expenses of radio and television media companies.” His party also wants to increase credit to at least 50% of payroll, the communications wing of the PQ told Devoir.
“The State finances 100% of functions such as police officers and firefighters,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon on Thursday. “There are plenty of essential functions where the State intervenes. Once we agree on the fact that [journalism] is an essential service, clearly there is no point in the State intervening. »
The PQ plan also provides for the creation of a fund to help with the “conversion of journalistic business and technological models”. As promised even before the 2022 elections, he also wants to create a Quebec regulatory body “à la CRTC” (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission).
To avoid contributing to the financial revenues of Web giants like Meta, Quebec should also adopt an “official policy” in order to “put an end to advertising spending by the government” and its affiliated organizations in companies “that refuse[s] to renew a redistribution agreement with the media.”
The year 2023 was difficult for Quebec media. In November, TVA cut more than 500 positions, including several at its regional stations. Then, in December, the upcoming abolition of 250 positions in Radio-Canada’s French Services across the country was announced.