Pierre Poilievre Signals Plan to Extend Government Subsidies to Right-Wing Media Websites

If Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives form government after the next federal election, Poilievre will defund the CBC and expand government funding arrangements to include right-wing alternative media outlets.

Speaking to right-wing online media personality Candice Malcolm with the website “Juno News” last week, Poilievre indicated he would, in his words, “depoliticize news media finance.”

Asked by Malcolm to clarify if he would “get rid of that $600 million newspaper fund that Trudeau gave to newspapers,” Poilievre confirmed he will make unspecified cuts to news industry subsidies but is also interested in expanding which media organizations can access those funds.

“We are going to be cutting back on that,” Poilievre said of the Liberal government’s news subsidies. “You’ll have to wait for our platform to get the details.”

Poilievre then suggested he would also change how “CRA designates” who qualifies for those subsidies.

“We have to depoliticize news media finance,” Poilievre said. “Right now, what happens is that there are subsidies that go to favoured media outlets that CRA designates and then there’s not funding for others.”

“Of course, the worst example is CBC, which gets this enormous subsidy to do largely what Canadians can get elsewhere – Canadians can get digital media, videographical media anywhere else.”

“We need to defund the CBC and have an independent self-supporting media.”

Later while on the same line of questioning, Poilievre said he also believes right-wing content creators and alternative media outlets should be welcomed into the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

“Independent media should be allowed on the precinct, there’s no reason why it should be a small cabal of government approved mouthpieces,” Poilievre said.

“I would love to see a scenario where every different kind of journalist from all backgrounds, of all opinions, is given a chance to report on what happens on the hill.”

Poilievre’s spokesperson, Sebastian Skamski, did not respond to multiple requests from PressProgress seeking clarification about what changes a Conservative government would make to CRA rules that set out the eligibility criteria for media outlets looking to access government subsidies.

Skamski also would not clarify if Poilievre would specifically extend government subsidies to right-wing websites like Juno or Rebel Media.

In 2019, the federal government introduced new tax measures to support journalism in Canada, including the creation of Registered Journalism Organizations (RJO) which are exempt from paying income tax, are eligible to receive donations from registered charities and also able to issue tax receipts to donors.

“To become a RJO under the Income Tax Act, an organization must first be designated as a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization (QCJO),” a CRA spokesperson told PressProgress. “The review of the organization’s QCJO application are undertaken by the CRA in consultation with the Independent Advisory Board on the Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures. If the organization meets the requirements for designation as a QCJO, it can apply to the CRA to be an RJO.”

CRA notes news organizations must meet specific eligibility criteria to qualify, including that more than half of its output be devoted to “original news content” on “matters of general interest and reports of current events, including coverage of democratic institutions and processes.”

Currently, some right-wing websites meet the eligibility criteria while others do not.

Derek Fildebrandt, Publisher of the Western Standard has said his publication is designated as a QCJO, while Rebel Media has been rejected by CRA and a federal court on the grounds that it does not produce enough “original news content.”

Poilievre’s interview was part of the launch of a new “subscription-based” right-wing media outfit called “Juno News,” named after the beach where Canadian troops landed on D-Day. It advertises itself as a source for “daily news podcasts, live broadcasts on breaking news, investigative documentaries and provocative commentary.”

The new start-up was co-founded by Candice Malcolm, who identifies herself as the “CEO of Juno News.”

Malcolm and her spouse Kaz Nejatian, the Chief Operating Officer of Shopify, are the founders and funders of the right-wing website True North, which operates as a registered charity.

While True North’s old website and archive of content is still live and accessible, all of True North’s social media accounts have been rebranded as “Juno News” and several True North contributors now identify themselves as being affiliated with Juno.

In a public statement posted to its website, True North says it will “continue to exist,” but says all of its content will now be published on Juno’s website going forward.