Trudeau Condemns Bell’s Layoffs of Journalists and Sale of Radio Stations as a ‘Disappointing Choice’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his strong displeasure with Bell Canada’s decision to lay off 9 percent of its workforce and close nearly half of its regional radio stations. He argued that this move would negatively impact local journalism in communities across Canada.
During a press conference in King City, Ont., the prime minister told reporters, “I’m furious. This is a garbage decision by a corporation that should know better.” He criticized corporate entities for acquiring journalistic outlets, laying off journalists, and then blaming decreased viewership or engagement for making operations unprofitable.
Bell CEO Mirko Bibic revealed in an open letter on Feb. 8 that 4,800 jobs across the company would be cut as part of a restructuring effort. He attributed this decision to challenging economic conditions and government regulatory decisions that have affected Bell’s networks and advertising revenues.
Bell’s news operations have been losing $40 million annually, leading to the closure of 45 of its 103 radio stations and the scaling-back of news stations like CTV and BNN Bloomberg. Additionally, noon newscasts at most CTV stations and weekend newscasts at all CTV and CTV2 stations, except in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, will be scrapped.
Mr. Trudeau expressed his anger with Bell’s decision and emphasized the importance of local, high-quality journalism, especially in a time when misinformation and disinformation threaten democracies worldwide.
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Mr. Trudeau underscored the importance of journalists’ ability to share Canadians’ stories, emphasizing that corporate leaders have a responsibility to local communities and the country and urging Canadians to demand better from the corporate world.
The Liberal government introduced tax credits and financial incentives worth almost $600 million in 2018 to support Canadian media organizations over the next five years. Additionally, they negotiated a $100 million annual deal with Google through the Online News Act, aiming to support Canadian media companies. CBC/Radio-Canada also announced plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and scale down programming in response to a $125 million budget deficit.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who had previously proposed to “defund” the CBC, pledged to maintain funding for Radio-Canada’s French-language programming.
