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January-February 2016 March-April 2016 May-June 2016 THE FUTURE RECONCILIATION NEW ECONOMIC OF WORK DIRECTIONS ON THE COVER A democratic media is possible /16 A special feature on corporate media convergence and the news with articles by Marc Edge, Susan Delacourt, Ann Douglas, Dwayne Winseck, Fenwick McKelvey, Davis Carr, Nora Loreto, Andrew Biro, Jeremy Appel, Robert Hacket and Abigail Kidd.

JULY/AUGUSTCONTENTS 2016 BEHIND THE NUMBERS ARTS Scotland’s P3 schools are crumbling Book reviews /53 (so why would we build them here?) The Right to Die: The Courageous Canadians Who Gave Keith Reynolds /5 Us the Right to a Dignified Death, Where the NDP left Manitoba by Gary Bauslaugh /53 Molly McCracken /6 Awkward Politics: Technologies of Popfeminist Activism, U.S. doctors want Canadian-style medicare by Carrie Smith-Prei and Maria Stehle /54 Karen Palmer /7 A CCPA summer reading guide /55 The “Fight for $15” in Nova Scotia Christine Saulnier /8

ASK THE CCPA David Macdonald on the pros and cons of buying provincial and municipal debt /12 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR /3 FEATURES Reviving the gun control debate /48 LETTERS /4 Paul Weinberg NEW FROM THE CCPA /10 The corruption of Brazil’s anti-corruption investigation /51 Asad Ismi INDEX: EDUCATION FUNDING /9

THE GOOD NEWS PAGE /15 Contributors Abigail Kidd Guest editors is an Ottawa-based disability Jeremy Appel Marc Edge rights and anti-violence Vol. 23, No. 2 is a Toronto-based journalist is a professor of media and ISSN 1198-497X activist, and sexual health with a focus on Canadian, communication at University Canada Post Publication 40009942 educator. She also works full U.S. and international Canada West in Vancouver. time as a union education CCPA Monitor is published six times politics. He has a masters His latest book, Greatly ofcer for CUPE 2204, which a year by the Canadian Centre for degree in American Studies Exaggerated: The Myth of the Policy Alternatives. represents non-proft child from Western University in Death of Newspapers, was care centres in Ottawa, and The opinions expressed in the CCPA London, Ontario. published in 2014. Monitor are those of the authors sits on the board of directors and do not necessarily refect Andrew Biro for the Ottawa Coalition to Robert A. Hackett the views of the CCPA. holds a Canada Research End Violence Against Women. is a professor of Chair in Political Ecology communication at Simon Please send feedback to Nora Loreto and Environmental Political Fraser University, a CCPA [email protected]. is a writer, musician and Theory, and is an associate research associate, and a Editor: Stuart Trew activist based in Quebec City. professor in the department co-founder of NewsWatch Senior Designer: Tim Scarth She is the author of From of political science at Acadia Canada and the Media Layout: Susan Purtell Demonized to Organized, University. His current Democracy Project. Editorial Board: Peter Bleyer, Building the New Union Kerri-Anne Finn, Seth Klein, Kate research examines the social Movement, and is the editor McInturf, Erika Shaker, Emily Turk construction of scarcity, of the Canadian Association and the role of culture and CCPA National Ofce: of Labour Media. 500-251 Bank St., Ottawa, ideology in environmental ON K2P 1X3 politics, with a focus on water Fenwick McKelvey Book reviews tel: 613-563-1341 issues. is an assistant professor This issue’s books section fax: 613-233-1458 in the department of [email protected] Davis Carr was curated by Octopus communication studies at www.policyalternatives.ca is a communications assistant Books, an independent Concordia University. He Twitter: @ccpa with the CCPA and the co- Ottawa bookseller studies algorithmic media— facebook.com/policyalternatives founder of JustChange, a (www.octopusbooks.ca). the intensifcation of software CCPA BC Ofce: micro-granting organization within communication 1400-207 West Hastings St., that gives $1,000 every two infrastructure—with a focus Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7 months to a group or person on advanced Internet trafc tel: 604-801-5121 efecting social, environmental fax: 604-801-5122 management software and or economic change in Ottawa. [email protected] campaign management CCPA Manitoba Ofce: Ann Douglas software. Unit 205-765 Main St., Winnipeg, is the author of numerous Rianka Singh MB R2W 3N5 books about parenting is a PhD student at the tel: 204-927-3200 including, most recently, University of Toronto’s faculty fax: 204-927-3201 Parenting Through the Storm: [email protected] of information. Her doctoral How to Handle the Highs, research focuses on digital CCPA Nova Scotia Ofce: the Lows, and Everything activism and cyber metaphor. P.O. Box 8355, Halifax, NS B3K 5M1 in Between (HarperCollins tel: 902-240-0926 Canada, January 2015). Kelley Tish Baker [email protected] is a freelance writer and Susan Delacourt CCPA Ontario Ofce: editor living in Ottawa. 10 Dundas Street East, has covered federal politics P.O. Box 47129, Toronto, for more than two decades as Paul Weinberg ON, M5B 0A1 a reporter and bureau chief. is a Hamilton, Ontario–based tel: 416-598-5985 A frequent political panellist freelance writer. His work [email protected] on CBC Radio and CTV News, appears in NOW Toronto, Raymond Biesinger CCPA Saskatchewan Ofce: Susan is the author of four rabble.ca and the Monitor. Our cover artist lives in 2nd Floor, 2138 McIntyre Street books including, most recently, Montreal, Quebec. He Regina, SK S4P 2R7 Shopping For Votes. She Dwayne Winseck likes concepts, making tel: 306-924-3372 teaches classes in journalism is a professor at the music, politics, Instagram, fax: 306-586-5177 th and political communication at School of Journalism and 19 century bird’s eye [email protected] Carleton University. Communication at Carleton panoramic maps, and a mix of University with a cross minimalism and maximalism. Asad Ismi appointment at the Institute He deploys physical things, writes about international of Political Economy. He is electronic means, complex afairs in the Monitor, also Director of the Canadian geometry and a BA in specializing in U.S. and Media Concentration European and North American Canadian imperialism, and Research Project and regularly political history to make his resistance to it, in the Global participates in public policy images, and has been lucky South. and regulatory proceedings to do so, since the year 2000, related to telecoms, Internet in over 1,000 projects on fve and media issues. continents. Note from the editor Stuart Trew Bad news and good ideas

HEN MARC EDGE and Robert Hacket con- Davis Carr on page 32), the trust and value we give tacted me about guest editing an issue of to media workers (see Susan Delacourt on page 22), the Monitor on the media, the plan was to and the consequences, for those pushing for social focus on the state of the news. Postmedia change and climate action, of not reforming an in- had recently merged its duplicate news- stitution that is currently built to perpetuate the rooms in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton status quo (see Robert Hacket on page 40). Wand Otawa—where the company owned both ma- In his lead article, “Can Canada’s media be fixed?” jor dailies afer purchasing the Sun chain in 2014— (see page 16), Marc Edge contrasts the history of con- and canned another 90 journalists. Its reputation as vergence with government apathy over the same pe- an unbiased source of news was already in the pits riod. “Canadian journalism was set on its course to afer running nationwide cover-page ads and edito- banana republic status in large part by Conrad Black rial endorsements for the Harper government days [who] brought a level of political partisanship to Ca- before the 2015 election. Now some Postmedia edi- nadian news media not seen since the ‘party press’ tors would be asked to spin the same story two ways era of the 19th century,” he writes. While web publish- (for branding purposes) in markets where the com- ing was supposed to make media empires less impor- pany owned both daily newspapers. On the layoffs tant—democratizing news generation, turning peo- in January, Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey shrugged ple into citizen journalists—“except for giant plat- and blamed Google, and he’s got half a point: new forms like Google and Facebook, online news media online news and social media players are gobbling have found it hard to make money in the Darwinian up advertising revenue that has historically bank- world of the Internet.” Edge looks at subsidy models rolled print, radio and television news. But that’s an (e.g., media charities, tax breaks for non-profit media excuse, not a solution to the failure of media con- organizations, directly employing mobile journalists vergence and consolidation that his predicament to feed local CBC news) as possible ways forward. exposes. Corporate profits are the main purpose of The failure to develop a new media funding model this business model, with the ability to set the pub- in response to advertising flight (to Facebook, Goog- lic agenda a nice concession prize for owners, and le, etc.) will hit workers the hardest. Three articles— public interest journalism a distant aferthought to by Andrew Biro, Nora Loreto and Jeremy Appel— CEOs and shareholders. look at the results so far. Biro goes behind the strike Some countries recognize the importance of inde- at the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, now in its sixth pendent media to democratic society and have cre- month. Workers continue to resist pay cuts while ated regulatory and funding regimes to support it. management employs scabs to put out a daily pa- Successive Canadian governments have sat back and per you might wrap fish with but wouldn’t want to watched the convergence happen. The current Lib- read. “The situation at the CH thus represents, in eral government in Otawa seems at least open to re- particularly stark form, the tensions between run- form: in February it announced a panel to explore the ning a newspaper business and producing a quali- crisis in local news; in April it opened the door to re- ty newspaper,” writes Biro. Loreto, a member of the writing the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Canadian Freelance Union, sees no hope in the cor- acts for the Internet age, which could have spinoff porate media model, but also doubts government impacts on news media (see Dwayne Winseck on solutions. “Ultimately, saving journalism is a fight page 25). But what policy responses are most appro- that journalists themselves must take on,” she says, priate in an era of technological change, the usurping pointing to unionization drives at Vice and Gawker of traditional media delivery by Silicon Valley-born also explored by Appel in his article. multinationals, and high levels of vertical integra- Our feature section on the media ends on a high tion (ownership of media generation and transmis- note. Abigail Kidd interviews Shameless editor Shei- sion) among Canada’s powerful telecoms-media con- la Sampath about the potential for independent me- glomerates? dia to transform society. The volunteer-run magazine The contributors to this issue try to answer some has no capital backing and targets a specific demo- of these questions, proving in the process that we graphic, meaning concentration in the mainstream cannot disentangle the challenges facing journal- media probably helps more than hinders Shameless. ism from the technologies that deliver it, the own- “Capitalism doesn’t work in a way that’s ever going to ership of the means of media production, the algo- favour feminist media or an anti-capitalist project,” rithms that increasingly determine what informa- says Sampath. “I think the pros that come from that tion we’re exposed to (see Fenwick McKelvey and outweigh the cons enough for us to keep going.” M 3 decreasing employment. the role of unpaid work denies that our current Much of today’s labour in human development “social safety net” isn’t safe is done on a volunteer and fulfllment (equally at all, but dysfunctional, basis, especially if we in social, cultural and inhumane, expensive include stay-at-home economic continuity and inefective—denying mothers. Hence increasing and well being) is autonomy and dignity, the salaries of those now incontestable. It also wasting talent, demolishing working will not change contrasts sharply with the initiative. Basic income the vast gap between the mindless, soul deadening will replace the fnancial Leters rich and the poor while the jobs so many people are component of welfare GAI may alter this divide. forced to undertake. Yet programs with a reliable the author privileges such and respectful income foor Paid work is said by jobs over work that can be for people who are jobless. many to be meaningless. so much more fulflling. Guaranteed to work Allowing people to Finally, the author Far from paying people “to was saddened to read choose more meaningful argues that basic income stay home” or to live “a life the article “Against a labour may reduce the would displace “state I of leisure,” basic income basic income” in the May- number now complaining mediated production and recognizes and values June 2016 issue, since of meaningless work. A redistribution.” Well, no. labour done in, for and the Guaranteed Annual well-designed GAI, like Legislated livable wage from home. Income (GAI) was such the mincome in Dauphin, levels will still be needed, a success in Dauphin, has a better chance In addition to ignoring as will workplace health Manitoba in the 1974–79 of supporting greater unpaid labour, the author’s and safety and other period. True, mothers with equality and encouraging cavalier attitude about regulations. Infrastructure newborns stayed home a more just society than the efect on Canadian rebuilding and other job- to care for their children, the present regime of jobs of globalization, creating public work but this was only a 3% employment. precarity and automation projects will remain reduction in the workforce. is dismaying. Government necessary. Nor is there Barry Hammond, Working members did not work projects are fne, anything about basic Winnipeg, Man. decrease at all and children but the sheer magnitude income that prevents the stayed in school longer of the structural changes pursuit of progressive instead of pumping gas to the labour market taxation or any other to supplement a family A BIG fan of basic can’t be counterbalanced redistributive mechanism. income. income so simply as the author Basic income is entirely here’s a lot to take would have us believe. compatible with the kinds The GAI advocated by issue with in the article Concern about these of government initiatives progressive thinkers like T “Against Basic Income” market developments is favoured by the author. Ed Schreyer and Pierre (What’s Left, May-June not “scare-mongering,” or Trudeau reduced inequality Toni Pickard, co-ordinator, 2016). One can fully “unrealistic” or a failure in which the middle and Kingston Action Group agree that work is valued to “think big” about upper income classes for a Basic Income Guarantee for its role in “human jobs. It’s simply sensible. gather most of the wealth development and personal Basic income ofers while the poor must fulfllment,” but for the protection against the exist with diminished Correction author only jobs count most devastating efects of necessities like food, water In the May-June as “work.” What of the ongoing job market trends. and transportation. This issue, former Mexican unpaid but essential labour contemporary GAI is seen Further, even the most President Vicente Fox done in the domestic and by many as attainable grandiose vision of was misidentifed as his public spheres? Millions in the near future government work projects successor, Felipe Calderón of people, overwhelmingly whereas increased paid leaves out people who (“The chilling efects of women, raise children, employment is seen by don’t work, whether due to ‘sunny’ diplomacy with manage households, care fewer today as possible. an ineradicable shortage of the United States”). The for elderly and ill family jobs, the lack of necessary Monitor thanks Karen A positive GAI will increase members, etc. In addition, skills or the inability to Saenger of Abbotsford, B.C. democratic participation untold as-yet-unpaid work (e.g., seniors, children, for noticing the error. in society as well as artists, writers, musicians, people with disabling encouraging greater inventors and others work illnesses or conditions). equality and increasing from home. Add in the The author shows little the stay-in-school option volunteer work we all rely Send us your feedback concern for or interest in without the myth of vastly on in the social sphere, and thoughts: monitor@ these people. Yet no one policyalternatives.ca 4 about the use of private finance, as saying, “Everyone realized that these buildings were shoddy [and] finan- cially they were expensive, they were Behind the unbelievably expensive.” Theoreti- cally, with a P3 the private contrac- tor should pay for these failings. This may or may not work out. Edinburgh Council is preparing for a vigorous le- numbers gal batle, according to the Guardian. In Canada, Alberta was the first province to have a P3 school program. KEITH REYNOLDS Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he intends to implement the school P3 program there as well. (Editor’s note: Walls are falling at In its Speech from the Throne in May, the Wall government announced it will Edinburgh’s P3 schools “continue to move forward on many other important infrastructure pro- jects underway throughout the prov- f 17 schools were closed in Vancou- operate public infrastructure in con- ince—schools, hospitals, long-term ver or Edmonton or Regina, because tracts that last for decades. care facilities, the Regina Bypass— Iparts of them were at risk of falling Donald Anderson, the man in using both traditional funding models down and injuring children, do you charge of Edinburgh schools at the and public-private partnerships or P3s think it might raise some questions time the 17 schools were built or mod- to ensure Saskatchewan residents re- about the way the schools were built? ernized in the 1990s, told the BBC they ceive the best possible value for their That is exactly what is happening had been given no choice other than tax dollars.”) in Edinburgh, Scotland. It all began to go with public-private partnerships. It is interesting that in B.C., perhaps in January, when a wall of a primary But he defended the P3 process, say- Canada’s biggest P3 booster among school collapsed during a storm. The ing the problem had to do with the the provinces, the government reject- school was temporarily reopened but use of subcontractors, and “how the ed a broad P3 school program. Some shut down again in March along with a construction industry operates at a high schools have been built with growing number of schools with sim- deeper level.” The BBC also reported the more limited design/build model, ilar problems. By April, 17 Edinburgh that, “It emerged…that the contrac- which is not recognized by everyone schools had been closed for safety tor—not the council—signed off the as a public-private partnership. reasons, with thousands of students completed buildings, although indus- The U.K. was among the first coun- needing to be relocated for their stud- try experts say such arrangements are tries in the world to invest heavily in ies. now commonplace. However, some public-private partnerships and the Other than safety hazards, the claim that, in general, this system of first to question the model. When schools had something else in com- self-certification may be open to the the P3-friendly Labour government mon. As the Guardian U.K. reports, risk of abuse.” was replaced by a coalition, the new “three schools were only partly refur- This is not the first time issues have government took action to claw back bished under the PFI contract, but the been raised about P3s in Scotland. some of the profits considered un- majority of the 10 primary schools, five The Financial Times quotes Malcolm reasonable. To date, in Canada none secondaries and two additional needs Fraser, an architect who resigned from of the provinces have been willing to schools affected were totally rebuilt an advisory panel to the Scotish gov- take a more critical look at the whole by the PFI firm Edinburgh Schools ernment in 2007 because of concerns P3 program despite a growing num- Partnership.” PFI is the United King- ber of provincial auditors raising ques- dom term for public-private partner- tions. ships (P3s). Perhaps before we get serious, The U.K. led the world in the devel- walls will need to begin falling.

opment of P3s. When British Colum- KEITH REYNOLDS IS THE FORMER NATIONAL RESEARCH bia wanted to develop a model for its “Everyone REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CANADIAN UNION OF PUB- LIC EMPLOYEES (CUPE) AND SITS ON THE CCPA’S MEM- P3s it brought in British consultants realized that these BERS’ COUNCIL. HE HAS DONE POLICY WORK FOR ALL to help. Under the U.K. P3 model, and THREE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. HIS AREAS OF EX- buildings were PERTISE INCLUDE PRIVATIZATION, P3S, AND MUNIC- the model in much of Canada, private IPAL GOVERNMENT AND FINANCE. FOLLOW HIM ON companies design, build, finance and shoddy.” TWITTER @KREYNOLDS118 5 MOLLY MCCRACKEN in Otawa, and despite federal offload- ing made substantial investments in health care and public and post-sec- Manitoba after 17 years ondary education. Manitoba has the lowest child care costs outside of of NDP government Quebec thanks to provincial subsi- dies. When the federal government pulled out of social housing, Manito- anitobans, some too young to ered taxes are combined with Crown- ba went ahead and built 2,000 units. remember a different govern- run utilities and public car insurance, Collective agreements for pub- Ming party, are waking up to the and a lower cost of housing, Manito- lic sector unions ofen provided less reality of a Progressive Conservative ba has one of the lowest costs of liv- than inflation-level increases under government. As they adjust, it provides ing in the country. But all of this good the NDP, but labour did have a voice an opportunity to reflect on how the economic news was not enough to at the legislature, and legislation on outgoing NDP government changed re-elect the NDP. On April 19, the Pro- workers’ rights was improved. Unlike the political and economic climate in gressive Conservatives swept into what has occurred in other provinces, Manitoba. power with 40 seats in the legislature public sector pensions were shored Manitoba had among the highest (up from 17), the Liberals gained two up and protected. economic and population growth seats (to now hold three) and the NDP The NDP invested in inner city re- rates in the country over the past dec- dropped from 37 to 14 seats. newal and community economic de- ade. In response to the Great Reces- The PCs rode the sentiment of velopment, creating ladders to em- sion, former premier Greg Selinger in- change brought on by the high-pro- ployment for those struggling to get troduced stimulus spending that buff- file divisions in the NDP related to the a toehold. The government introduced ered Manitoba against the economic way the PST was increased, not neces- a shelter benefit called Rent Assist, downturn. These interventions con- sarily the tax itself. In response to the which puts $40 million more dollars tributed to a GDP growth rate of 2% 2011 flood, lower federal transfer pay- in the hands of low-income renters. in 2015 (compared to 1.2% for Cana- ments and crumbling infrastructure, CCPA-Manitoba had a strong part in da overall), and one of the lowest un- the Selinger government increased the research that made the case for employment rates in Canada at 5.9% the PST in 2013 on short notice. The these housing and income support in May 2016 (it was 6.9% in Canada as backlash led to infighting in the NDP, programs. a whole). The federal Liberals adopted which culminated in a leadership con- But the NDP’s social-democratic a similar fiscal policy approach when test that Selinger narrowly won. The mandate was never completely ful- they ran on a platform of economic opposition capitalized on the spec- stimulus in 2015. tacle to continuously atack the NDP Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister (right) and In their time in office, the NDP low- and win the election. former Ontario premier Mike Harris at the 2014 ered business, income and property The Manitoba NDP governed Manning Centre conference. taxes substantially. When these low- through 10 years of Conservative rule PHOTO BY MARK BLEVIS

6 filled. Substantial tax cuts made ear- KAREN PALMER lier in their term meant Manitoba was less prepared for natural and eco- nomic setbacks, and lef less money U.S. docs want to cope with critical issues like pover- ty. Rent Assist was implemented too Canadian-style medicare late in the government’s mandate to bring down high poverty rates in time for the 2016 election. n a dramatic show of physician sup- tion in most provinces further prohib- The annual child poverty report card port for deep health care reform in its private insurance that duplicates dogged the NDP. Compared to the na- Ithe U.S., more than 2,200 physician what is already covered under provin- tional average, Manitoba does not leaders have signed a “Physician’s Pro- cial plans. fare well when using the Low-Income posal” calling for sweeping change. If patients are billed for medical- Measure. Manitoba’s poverty rates are The proposal, published May 5, 2016 in ly necessary hospital and physi- partially related to our lower-than-av- the American Journal of Public Health, cian care, the federal government is erage income levels overall and the calls for the creation of a publicly fi- mandated to withhold an equivalent province is home to a high proportion nanced, single-payer, national health amount from federal cash transfers to of Indigenous people (16.7% compared program to cover all Americans for all provinces or territories violating the to the Canadian average of 3.4%). Por- medically necessary care. act. At least that’s what supposed to tions of Manitoba’s Indigenous com- If that sounds familiar, it should. happen. Unfortunately, the last dec- munity struggle with the intergenera- These American doctors are calling ade saw a proliferation of extra billing tional cycle of poverty caused by colo- for Canadian-style medicare. They in several provinces, and few instanc- nization. Child poverty is still high and want a decisive break from the ex- es of government clawing back fiscal Indigenous and on-reserve poverty pensive and inefficient private insur- transfers. Perhaps things will change. unacceptably so, as David Macdonald ance industry at the heart of the U.S. Health Minister Jane Philpot recent- and Daniel Wilson expose in their new health care system. How ironic that ly said the government will “absolutely CCPA report, Shameful Neglect. The at the same time U.S. physicians are uphold the Canada Health Act.” province could have done more, but calling for a single-payer health sys- In B.C.’s upcoming trial, the plain- was also lef to pick up responsibilities tem like ours, Canada is in the midst tiffs—including two for-profit inves- the Harper government offloaded, in- of a legal batle threatening to pave tor-owned facilities, Cambie Surgery cluding federal neglect of First Nation the way for a multi-payer system re- Centre and the Specialist Referral communities. sembling what has failed Americans. Clinic—are atempting to have the New Progressive Conservative Pre- What’s at stake? A trial about to be- court strike down limits on private mier Brian Pallister aims to make Man- gin in British Columbia threatens to payment. They support the creation itoba “most improved,” which will be make the Canada Health Act unen- of a constitutionally protected right difficult in a province with an econ- forceable. for physicians to bill patients, either omy as diversified as the flat prai- The Canada Health Act is feder- out-of-pocket or through private in- rie landscape on which it sits. Pallis- al legislation that guides our health surance, for medically necessary care, ter has come out with policies that care system. It strongly discourages while also billing the public plan. act against unions. He is inheriting private payment for medically nec- In other words, the plaintiffs want to a strong economy and the enriched essary hospital and physician servic- undo our elegantly simple single-pay- PST, which he’s promised to bring es covered under our publicly funded er system for hospital and physician back down to 7% by 2020. Manitoba medicare plans. This includes out-of- care, creating instead a multi-payer certainly won’t be “most improved” if pocket payments in the form of extra system like in the U.S. If their consti- the government implements the pov- billing or other user charges. Legisla- tutional challenge is successful, the erty reduction strategy the PCs adver- door will swing wide open in B.C.— tised during the election campaign. and across Canada—for insurers Pallister rode a wave of change, mut- to sell what will amount to “private ed his party’s ideological message and queue-jumping insurance” for those avoided making many specific prom- who can afford it, potentially harm- ises related to social policy. He has ing the rest of us who can’t. The out- commited to prioritizing fiscal policy come of this trial could be that those goals, which will now reign supreme Global evidence who can pay for care would jump the in Manitoba for the next four years. queue, drawing doctors and other Progressives not accustomed to re- shows that private resources out of the public system. sistance will need to hone those skills insurance does Those who can’t pay would likely wait again. not reduce public longer. Rather than a solution for wait MOLLY MCCRACKEN IS DIRECTOR OF CCPA–MANITOBA. times, private payment in the Canadi- FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @MMMOLLYMCC. system wait times. an context would make them worse. 7 Global evidence shows that private CHRISTINE SAULNIER insurance does not reduce public sys- tem wait times. The Achilles heel of health care in several European coun- The “Fight for $15” tries, such as Sweden, has been long waiting times for diagnosis and treat- in Nova Scotia ment in several areas despite some private insurance. Afer Australia in- troduced private insurance to save n May, the Nova Scotia NDP intro- ernment recommends raising the per- the government money, those with duced a private member’s bill that sonal allowance to $11,000 from the private insurance have faster access Iwould have seen the provincial min- current $8,481. This relatively small in- to elective surgery than those with- imum wage increased to $15 per hour crease in tax-exempt earnings would re- out it. Divisions in equitable access to for all workers by the year 2019. The duce government revenues by $112 mil- care are one of the biggest challenges bill was dismissed by the current gov- lion annually while offering a miniscule now facing countries that have adopt- ernment because of concerns about $43 rebate for those with incomes up ed multi-payer systems. possible inflationary pressures, and to $10,000, $158 for those earning be- Multi-payer systems are adminis- the belief that raising the personal al- tween $10,000 and $20,000, and a max- tratively complex and expensive, ex- lowance (basic personal income tax imum of $200 for everyone above that. plaining why the U.S. health insur- exemption) is a more effective way to In other words, where a $15 mini- ance industry spends about 18% of help those with low incomes. Though mum wage would offer full-time min- its health care dollars on billing and the bill never made it to a vote before imum-wage workers an $8,000+ raise insurance-related administration for the legislative session was called to a (before taxes and deductions), the its many private plans, compared to close, it’s worth unpacking the govern- Nova Scotia government believes just 2% in Canada for our streamlined ment’s logic for when the next oppor- these workers would be beter off with single-payer insurance plans. Hospi- tunity for reform presents itself. an extra $200 at tax time. tal administrative costs are lowest For the working poor, earning an Tax policy could be made more pro- in Canada and Scotland, both sin- additional $5 per hour—or $200 per gressive in the province. No doubt gle-payer systems, and highest in the week, afer taxes and deductions, for about that. But let’s not let it deflect U.S., the Netherlands and the U.K., all those working full time—would defi- the discussion away from more effec- multi-payer systems. nitely help make ends meet, and it tive solutions to poverty, including the Abundant evidence shows pri- is well past time these workers saw $15 minimum wage. Even if the govern- vate insurance is at the root of what a real pay hike. At $10.70 per hour, ment insists it will not go there, it would ails the U.S. system. Dr. Marcia An- today’s minimum wage carries the be more cost effective for Nova Scotia gell, co-author of the “Physicians’ same purchasing power it did nearly to keep the personal allowance where Proposal” and former editor-in-chief four decades ago. A package of goods it is and to use the $112 million on so- of the New England Journal of Med- that would have cost $20 in 1977 now cial programs instead: pharmacare, icine, sums it up: “We can no longer af- costs $78 (adjusted for inflation), and child care and affordable housing are ford to waste the vast resources we it takes just as much time (9.1 hours) all much more valuable to the working do on the administrative costs, exec- working for minimum wage to buy that poor (and everyone for that mater) utive salaries, and profiteering of the package today as it did then. Though than a tiny tax break. private insurance system.” A Canadi- Canadian GDP per capita has roughly Let’s also not gloss over the com- an-style single-payer financing system doubled in this time, minimum-wage plexity of the economy and the ability would save the U.S. about $500 billion workers are absolutely no beter off of businesses big and small to make annually. today than they were in the 1970s. smart choices about how much to pay Meanwhile in Canada, abandon- While about 6% of workers earn the their workers. As one small business ing our single-payer health care sys- minimum wage in Nova Scotia, almost owner in Halifax told Metro News re- tem for a U.S.-style multi-payer system 35% of workers (just over 130,000 peo- cently, “starving your staff with the would be the worst possible outcome. ple) earn less than $15 an hour, ac- backing of your government doesn’t Let’s hope the evidence convinces the cording to Statistics Canada’s 2014 seem like the right answer.” judge. The trial begins in September. Labour Force Survey. Bumping the Raising the minimum wage would

KAREN PALMER IS AN ADVISOR WITH minimum wage to $15 per hour would be a win-win-win—for the province, EVIDENCENETWORK.CA, A HEALTH POLICY ANALYST, therefore help a lot of people, with a our businesses and workers. A year af- A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT THE CCPA-BC, AND AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR IN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH slightly bigger gain for women, who ter Seatle chose to increase its min- SCIENCES AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY. THIS PIECE make up 60% of low-wage workers in imum wage to $15 per hour, the effect FIRST APPEARED IN THE TORONTO STAR. the province. Would a higher personal on prices and jobs has been minimal. income tax exemption have the same There’s no reason it would be any dif- effect? Nowhere close. ferent in Nova Scotia.

The taxation study (Broten Report) CHRISTINE SAULNIER IS DIRECTOR OF THE CCPA-NOVA commissioned by the Nova Scotia gov- SCOTIA. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @CMYSAUL. 8 $12.3 billion 1.7% $26,380 Total federal contribution Average by which tuition Average amount more that to post-secondary fees increased each year the richest families have in education in 2013–14 above the rate of infation their RESP compared to the (down from a high of $12.8 from 2004–05 to 2013–14. poorest. billion in 2010–11).

Index 498,000 37.7% $917 million Number of students Proportion of all tax credits Total federal contribution to participating in the received by the top 20% of Indigenous post-secondary Canadian Student Loan families (ranked by after- Distributional impact education, student Program in 2013–14 (up tax income in 2015). of federal education funding employment programs from 340,000 in 2004–05). Compiled and merit-based grants in by Erika Shaker 2013–14 (down from $1 billion in 2010–11). 17.2% $2.7 billion Proportion received by the he Parliamentary Budget Ofcer’s Total amount in loans lowest 20% of families T (PBO) May 5 report on federal issued in 2013–14 (up from (based on after-tax family post-secondary education spending $3.3 billion $1.6 billion in 2004–05). income over the same is a treasure trove of information Total federal funding for period). about funding trends, tuition post-secondary research fees, savings schemes and tax in 2013–14 (down from credits going back to 2004–05 and a high of $3.8 billion 39% projecting forward to 2020. It is in 2010–11 as part of Student loan uptake rate in 6 also vindication for those who have stimulus spending). 2013–14 (up from 34.3% Estimated number of been pointing out for some time that in 2010–11). months between tuition the costs of higher education are fee due dates (late a barrier for low-income students, summer) and when a tax that Registered Education Savings 21.4% fler can reasonably expect Plans (RESPs) disproportionately Participation rate of 35.7% to receive a tax refund beneft the wealthy, that most of Canadians aged 15–29 in Proportion of students (spring of the following the money allocated through these post-secondary programs whose needs were at or year) for tuition tax credits. savings schemes is not going where in 2013–14 (up from in excess of amounts they it’s needed, that debt loads are 18.9% in 2004–05). could borrow in 2013–14 increasing and that tax credits are no (up from 29% in 2010–11). solution. $1.4 billion The PBO report followed hot on 2% Total estimated value of the heels of an internal evaluation 48.9% the tuition tax credit in of the Canada Education Savings Average annual post- 2020, 39% of which will be Estimated proportion of Program that also underscored how secondary enrolment allocated to the top 20% students whose needs will the public grant portion of education growth rate from 2004–05 of families. be at or exceed the loan savings accounts was heavily skewed to 2013–14. limit by 2020–21. toward the wealthy. Incidentally, the same trends were noted in 2002 28% and 2008 by UBC economist Kevin 60% Increase in the average Milligan, and have been thoroughly Proportion of post- 34% amount of student debt discussed by organizations such as secondary students from Percentage by which held by unattached the Canadian Federation of Students higher-income families families in the highest net individuals (from 1999 to and the CCPA. More recently, the (from the two highest after- worth quintile were more 2012). 2016 Alternative Federal Budget tax or disposable income likely to have an RESP than provides a plan for eliminating tuition quintiles). those in lowest net worth fees by increasing and refocusing our quintile in 2012. currently inefcient federal funding $22,276 mechanisms. Average student debt at Let’s break down the PBO report by graduation in 2013. the numbers.

9 by David Macdonald lives of their communities. the employment and life and Daniel Wilson, is a The housing market in skills they need to enter groundbreaking study that Metro Vancouver is an and participate in the paid calculates child poverty important contributor to workforce. In Creating rates in Canada, including the region’s high living Pride Through Decent the rates on reserves and wage. According to CCPA- Work: Social Enterprises in in territories—something BC economist Marc Lee, in Manitoba, Josh Brandon New from never before examined. his report Getting Serious and Molly McCracken of The study identifes three About Afordable Housing: the CCPA-Manitoba set out the CCPA tiers of poverty for children Towards a Plan for Metro to better understand the in Canada, with the worst Vancouver, the government impact of social enterprise levels experienced by should be pursuing a training and employment status First Nation children more ambitious planning programs on the lives of Keeping our climate (51%, rising to 60% for strategy that includes participants. They fnd commitments children on reserve). The public re-investment in that social enterprises second tier encompasses social and co-op housing, provide trainees and nder the Paris other Indigenous children putting the brakes on employees with needed U Agreement, Canada and disadvantaged groups absentee ownership, and skills in a holistic fashion, pledged to reduce its (ranging from 22%–32%), progressive property including life skills, greenhouse gas emissions and the third tier consists taxation options. budgeting, accessing to 30% below 2005 levels of children who are non- identifcation and driver’s by 2030. A new CCPA Indigenous, non-racialized licensing, workplace health report by David Hughes, and non-immigrant, where Ontario’s social and safety knowledge, Can Canada Expand Oil the rate of 13% is similar assistance poverty and construction and and Gas Production, to the OECD average. gap employment search skills. Build Pipelines, and Keep Its Climate Change rom the CCPA-Ontario, Commitments?, assesses by Fixing Vancouver’s F Kaylie Tiessen drills Gender how much Canada’s non– living wage, housing down on one key but inequality oil and gas sectors would market complex policy fle that is in Newfoundland need to reduce emissions essential to the province and Labrador to compensate for etro Vancouver’s meeting its poverty several energy expansion M living wage was reduction targets and n her new analysis for scenarios. It fnds Canada frst calculated in 2008 improving income security: I the CCPA-Nova Scotia, cannot meet its global by the CCPA, First Call social assistance. Her new Through a Gender Lens: The climate commitments while (B.C. Child and Youth report, Ontario’s Social 2016–17 Newfoundland at the same time ramping Advocacy Coalition) and Assistance Poverty Gap, and Labrador Budget’s up oil and gas extraction Victoria’s Community fnds that the poverty gap Impacts on Women, Cyndi and building new export Social Planning Council, for single individuals who Brannen fnds that this pipelines. This is the frst and it has been updated qualify for Ontario Works year’s provincial budget study released as part of every year since to adjust or the Ontario Disability will worsen gender the Corporate Mapping for government taxes and Support Program has inequalities by decreasing Project (CMP), a research transfers. In Working for a increased by almost 200% incomes among the and public engagement Living Wage: Making Paid since 1993, and people most vulnerable women, initiative investigating Work Meet Basic Family receiving benefts from laying of public sector the power of the fossil Needs in Metro Vancouver, Ontario’s social assistance workers and cutting fuel industry in Western Iglika Ivanova and Seth programs are living in a education spending. The Canada. The CMP is jointly Klein of the CCPA-BC greater depth of poverty author makes several led by the University of calculated the 2016 living now than a generation ago. recommendations for Victoria, the CCPA and the wage to be $20.64 an hour. improving the consultation Parkland Institute. This is the amount a family process to account of four with two parents Social enterprises for gender impacts in working full time would in Manitoba upcoming provincial Indigenous child need to pay for necessities, budgets. poverty support the healthy ver the past decade, development of their O a strong network of hameful Neglect: children, escape fnancial social enterprises has S Indigenous Child stress and participate in grown in Manitoba to Poverty in Canada, the social, civic and cultural help individuals develop 10 All TPP, all the time! Van Harten fnds the consultation on whether or blog that examines the expanded rights granted not Canada should ratify ideology of neoliberalism he CCPA has released two to foreign investors in the the 12-country trade pact. and the enormous harm its T more reports in its series TPP carry major risks for implementation imposes on the TPP, What’s the Big citizens and taxpayers in on people and the planet. Deal? Unpacking the Trans- signing countries. Watch Same nerds, “Having recently become Pacifc Partnership. The out for reports in July on new look a nonagenarian, I spend frst, The Impact of TPP how the TPP afects labour, a lot of time these days Tarif Removal on Canadian Canada’s auto sector, he CCPA-BC recently remembering the past, as Trade, by John Jacobs, copyright and Internet T unveiled its redesigned most people in their 90s fnds that the TPP would governance, and Canada blog, PolicyNote.ca. The tend to do. But, more and likely worsen Canada’s Post. blog was frst launched in more, I also think about the growing trade defcit with the lead-up to the 2009 future I won’t be around the Asia-Pacifc region, he CCPA was invited B.C. election. Between now to see, and with mounting impair our ability to boost T to present on trade and the next provincial concern about the kind of employment and activity issues to the Senate and election in 2017, you’ll world my grandchildren in manufacturing and high- House of Commons in the fnd regular posts on key will be living in,” starts tech sectors, and impede past two months. On May issues facing the province, Ed in the frst of his three eforts to diversify the 19, CCPA Monitor editor with a focus on climate posts. Read Ed’s essay, Canadian economy beyond Stuart Trew appeared change, fracking and LNG, and much more, at www. its current reliance on as a witness before the poverty and inequality, behindthenumbers.ca. resource extraction and Senate foreign afairs the afordability crisis in primary goods exports. committee to discuss the housing and child care, and repercussions of Canada’s education. n the second report, recent trade agreements I Foreign Investor (TPP and CETA) for drug Protections in the Trans- costs and public interest Ed Finn makes Pacifc Partnership, Gus regulation. And on June a guest appearance Van Harten examines the 16, Scott Sinclair, director on CCPA’s national special privileges given to of the centre’s Trade and blog foreign investors by the Investment Research For more reports, TPP, including the right Project, presented on d Finn, the 90-year- commentary and to compensation where the TPP to the House E old former editor of infographics from the government policy is of Commons trade the Monitor, came out of CCPA’s national and found to interfere with an committee as part of the retirement to write a three- provincial offices, visit investor’s private interests. government’s nationwide part essay on our national www.policyalternatives.ca.

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If you’d like to learn more, our Development Offcer Katie Loftus would be happy to assist you with your gift planning. Katie can be reached at 613-563-1341 ext. 31811 or at [email protected]. to borrow money than the feds. For example, the feds can borrow at 0.7% annually for five years where Ontario’s rate is 1.4%; the City of Waterloo would pay 2.7% interest to borrow for the same term. Now, if the Bank of Cana- da started buying a portion of new pro- vincial or municipal bonds, these inter- est rates would go down as you intro- duce a new big player. The more com- petition there is among bond buyers Ask the CCPA the lower the interest rate on the bond. ' Loans could be effectively interest free: The federal government could re- DAVID MACDONALD, SENIOR ECONOMIST fund provincial or municipal bond pay- ments made to the Bank of Canada CAN THE BANK OF (net of bank expenses) to the govern- ments who paid them, basically along Q CANADA PROVIDE the lines of what the federal govern- ment does for itself. This would make INTEREST-FREE LOANS? those loans close to interest free, like they are for the federal government. It wouldn’t cause inflation: A debate As Monitor readers may be plans, mutual funds, exchange traded ' in the U.S. continues to question the aware, the Commitee on funds (ETFs) and the like. logic of quantitative easing (QE) based Monetary and Economic Through an interesting transaction on fears of causing hyper-inflation. A Reform (COMER) is spon- the federal government basically pays A large part of the policy involves the soring a court case that argues the no interest on the bonds held by the Federal Reserve (their central bank) Bank of Canada should be providing Bank of Canada. In 2015, since the bank buying federal government bonds. interest-free loans to provincial and held $94-billion worth of federal debt, What’s amusing about this debate is municipal governments. This case has the government paid $1.8 billion in in- that our Bank of Canada has been buy- had some major wins, but not being a terest. Since the Bank of Canada has ing federal government bonds nearly lawyer I can’t evaluate it from a legal expenses as well (for printing curren- every year since its public inception in perspective. What I can do is evaluate cy, paying staff, maintaining buildings, 1938, with no tangible impact on infla- the economic proposal at the heart of etc.), which totaled $0.5 billion in 2015, tion. If it were to start buying provin- the case. at year’s end the bank made a profit of cial or municipal bonds there would be First of all, governments don’t take $1.2 billion—the sum of income minus similarly litle to no impact on inflation. out loans like households do (e.g., expenses. That money was dutifully re- through a mortgage or a line of cred- turned to the bank’s owner, i.e., the fed- ' It won’t necessarily lead to more it). Rather, they raise money by selling eral government. In other words, the or beter public spending: Some- bonds. Government debt is the sum of government is already benefiting from times lowering the interest rate on outstanding bonds that will have to be near-zero-interest loans from the Bank debt is seen as the cure-all solution paid back when they come due. Bonds, of Canada since it gets most of its debt to improving health care, social ser- like mortgages, have an interest rate. payments back as profit. vices or building infrastructure. While However, unlike mortgages, you don’t Looking over the historical stats, lower interest payments can certain- save on interest payments by paying the Bank of Canada has never held ly save governments money (and they off bonds early—even if a lower inter- large amounts of provincial or mu- have been very low since 2008), that est rate is available. nicipal bonds, certainly not to maturi- extra money can just as easily be The Bank of Canada already buys ty. While from an economic perspec- spent on reducing taxes as improving a portion of all federal government tive there is nothing stopping the bank health care. Alternately, taking out bonds (or debt). As of February 2016, from buying provincial and municipal cheap debt to build productive infra- the Bank of Canada held 14% of all fed- debt, there are five consequences to structure may make great economic eral bonds, but the amount fluctuates. consider in such a policy, some posi- sense, but that doesn’t mater if gov- In comparison, the chartered (private) tive and some negative. ernments are not willing to run larger banks held 10% of federal bonds at the deficits to do so. The federal govern- It would reduce provincial and mu- end of 2015; the vast majority of bonds ' ment spends less today (as a share of nicipal interest rates: Other levels of are held by the public through pension the economy) than at any point since government pay higher interest rates 1938 despite its access to the Bank of

12 Canada. On the other hand, munici- The Bank of like you and I. In 2015, the feds likely palities that don’t have this privilege made about 0.6% interest on the $23 are spending more than they ever have Canada has billion they held in their commercial on things like infrastructure. In sum- never held accounts. The feds technically also mary, just having access to the Bank make interest on their deposits at of Canada doesn’t necessarily mean large amounts the Bank of Canada, but that interest you’ll have higher program spending. of provincial or is paid out of bank profits that the feds would otherwise make. In effect, the It will cost the federal government ' municipal bonds, feds don’t make anything on their de- money: This is perhaps the most crit- posits at the Bank of Canada. ical and overlooked consequence of certainly not to If the Bank of Canada bought more using the Bank of Canada to provide maturity. provincial or municipal bonds, the feds low-interest loans to other levels of would have to transfer more of their government. Besides buying federal money from the commercial banks government debt, the bank plays an- (where they make interest) to the other critical role in that it sets the so- Bank of Canada (where they don’t). called overnight rate on which most This wouldn’t be the end of the world: other interest rates, mortgage rates, even if the federal government lost all prime rates and business rates are its interest by shifing deposits to the based. In fact, most of the daily work Bank of Canada, it would still get that of bank staff involves making sure the $1.2 billion in profit from our central actual rate is bang on their target over- almost always take this last choice, bank at the end of the year. However, night rate. which is exactly what the Bank of Can- there is a problem of scale here. The Canadian banking system is struc- ada wants, since it is in line with its tar- The provinces and municipalities tured in such a way that all transac- get overnight rate. combined have over $800 billion in tions cancel out. For instance, if I bank The system works as long as it nets bonds while the federal government at TD Canada Trust and you bank at to zero. But once governments and the has over $700 billion. But the feds only Scotiabank, and I send you an e-trans- Bank of Canada move money into or have about $23 billion in deposits at fer for $100, at the end of the day TD out of the banking system things get the commercial banks. Once they’ve is in a negative position for $100 and out of whack. By moving money into shifed that across to the Bank of Scotiabank is in positive position for the private banking system (by buying, Canada, the positive balances would the same amount: the positions add- say, $100 worth of bonds from some- build up in the private banking system, ed together net to zero. Now, the banks one at Scotiabank), the Bank of Can- which would deposit the surplus cash don’t necessarily transfer that $100 to ada creates an advantage for TD over at the Bank of Canada, which would each other at day’s end, but ofen lend Scotiabank, as Scotiabank has more have to pay interest on those deposits. the money instead. So, in our case, im- cash to lend than TD needs. The 0.5% Those interest payments would come agine Scotiabank lends $100 back to interest rate can be bid down to 0.4% out of the Bank of Canada’s profit, and TD. The interest rate on that loan is in our example above, since TD knows at a certain point the bank would start what the Bank of Canada wants to that Scotiabank will otherwise get only losing money as interest payments on match its overnight rate (presently 0.25% at the Bank of Canada. Due to deposits exceeded what it makes from 0.5%). The way it does this is by say- the surplus of cash, the Bank of Can- federal bonds. As the bank’s owner, the ing that any commercial bank can de- ada doesn’t hit its 0.5% target and the federal government would have to pay posit money with it and make interest rate falls to 0.4%. for that loss either as a direct transfer of 0.25% less than the overnight rate. While this may sound dire, the Bank or as additional debt. The Bank of Canada also says that an- of Canada and governments put in and I have no idea where that point is, yone can loan money from it at 0.25% take out money from the banking sys- but it is certainly far less than 100% more than the overnight rate. tem all the time as they pay public ser- of provincial and municipal debt. On So TD has a choice: it can get a loan vice salaries or collect taxes. But they the other hand, the Bank of Canada from the Bank of Canada or from Sco- offset these transactions by moving could definitely buy a portion of that tiabank. Scotiabank has the inverse the deposits of the federal govern- debt, rebate the interest and still make choice: it can deposit its $100 at the ment between the commercial banks money. This would be a good deal for Bank of Canada or it can make a loan and the Bank of Canada. In the case the provinces and municipalities, but to TD. TD’s loan from the Bank of Can- above, the federal government would it would cost the federal government ada would cost it 0.75% interest and withdraw $100 from its Scotiabank ac- money. M Scotiabank’s deposit at the Bank of count and move it to the Bank of Can- Do you have any burning questions Canada would earn it 0.25%. Alternate- ada, thus reseting the system to zero for the CCPA? Send them to us at ly, the two private banks can do the and maintaining the overnight rate. monitor@policyalternatives and deal directly with each other and split The feds make money on their de- we’ll find the right expert for the job. the difference at 0.5%. Private banks posits at the commercial banks, just 13 Perspectives Murray MacAdam Hunger is no game

O MORE FOOD TODAY.” Four simple words. Four pleading voice urging me to heap his plate high because words to chill your heart. “I’m really hungry.” I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to not have One day I was sure I saw Rebecca, the lawyer who han- enough food. My fridge bursts with abundance, dled the legal work on our home purchase, walk into the and sometimes overabundance in the form of Lighthouse. On closer inspection it wasn’t her, and I sighed half-roten vegetables I end up tossing into the relief. Yet an hour later there was Rebecca in line for food. “Ncompost on cleaning day. So when I arrive at Peterbor- She’d had some bad breaks recently, she told me. ough’s Lighthouse community centre on Tuesday morn- Poverty is like a cancer that limits life in so many ways. ings, to help serve a noonday meal to 100 or so people, Ofen Lighthouse guests walk right by me in the food line. I feel like I’m crossing a frontier. I enter a world where “Too bad so many people don’t like salad,” I remarked to stretching a meagre income to meet your needs is no Frances, another volunteer. She replied, “Some folks here mean feat, and for some would be an impossible challenge have no teeth or only a few teeth. So it’s hard to chew lit- without the help of programs like this. tle bits of food.” The Lighthouse isn’t just a free meal program for our poor, Wearing another hat, I recently helped write a brief for hungry neighbours. It’s a gathering place, where joy can an anti-poverty coalition that was submited to the Ontar- break through the grim reality of hunger. Staff, volunteers io government as part of its 2016 budget process. The co- and community members ofen kid around with each oth- alition urged the government to provide free public dental er. Small groups huddle close to a card game or chat on its care for all low-income adults (right now only low-income edges. People are geting their social needs fed here, not children receive this service). When a trip to the dentist just their bellies. costs too much it doesn’t happen, and your teeth pay the Yet the botom line remains: this is a survival program in price. The budget didn’t provide the dental care that we an incredibly wealthy society. And that always gnaws at me and others had called for. It also included a paltry 1.5% in- while I’m chopping vegetables or dishing out salad to the crease in social assistance rates (3% for single people on people shuffllng through the serving line. Ontario Works), well below the pace of rising food costs. Our country is full of such survival programs. The coa- Thanks to the kindness of food stores, volunteers, the lition Food Banks Canada says that over 850,000 people Canadian Mental Health Association, a local church and turned to a food bank to ward off hunger in March 2015, other community partners, the Lighthouse is able to bright- 26% more than in 2008, more than one-third of them chil- en up the lives of people whose lives are hard enough as it dren. One-sixth of food bank clients have jobs but don’t is. Only rarely do we need to post our sign, “No More Food earn enough to pay rent, buy food and meet other needs. Today.” But when we do, the looks on people’s faces can With rising food prices—they’re expected to outpace in- be gut-wrenching. flation for the fourth year in a row—hunger threatens to af- When all is said and done, the Lighthouse is a stopgap flict even more people. Already one Peterborough child in measure, a bandage. It’s a program that shouldn’t have to nine lives in a family without enough food. exist, just as hundreds of similar programs all over the coun- Overall, I feel good about doing my bit to feed the need for try should not exist. Other countries, such as Denmark and food in Peterborough. I feel good that on cold days we can Sweden, have far lower poverty rates than Canada. offer a hot cooked meal in a humane seting. I enjoy the rib- We can mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, faith bing our team of volunteers from local churches gives each groups, setlement agencies and government resources on other as we chop, stir, bake and assemble the day’s meal. a massive scale to welcome to Canada newcomers fleeing And yet never do I get through my shif without tearing war and persecution. What a wonderful display of compas- up at some point. It could be the sight of anxious-looking sion and commitment. Imagine what a similar mobilization men, women and youth waiting in line for lunch half-an- could do to benefit people who can’t buy their own food. hour ahead of schedule. I ask myself, “If these people are What’s holding us back? M this worried about being fed first, when did they last eat?” MURRAY MACADAM VOLUNTEERS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE IN PETERBOROUGH, It could be glimpsing the creased, careworn face of some- ONTARIO, AND WITH THE ANTI-POVERTY ADVOCACY COALITION ISARC. THE NAMES ABOVE WERE CHANGED TO PROTECT PRIVACY. one looking so beaten down and defeated by life, or that

14 a new Climate Change turbines, connect them to (TTIP) negotiations to Action Plan in June that the power grid and bring pressure the European will inject $7 billion over emissions-free electricity Commission into illegally four years into 80 diferent to Nova Scotia. As further delaying (until later this policies—from retroftting incentive for tidal devel- year) the publication of buildings to incentives opment (and the jobs that criteria for identifying for electric vehicles to come with it), the provin- other endocrine-disrupting The good helping transition the cial government will pay chemicals, which could energy grid away from all a feed-in tarif for power have led to the ban of up news page carbon—with the objective generated by tidal turbines. to 31 pesticides. In better of lowering the province’s According to a government news for oceans, major carbon footprint by 2020. source, FORCE will hire food chains McDonald’s, Compiled by “It’s a transformation that experts to measure noise Tesco, Young’s Seafood Elaine Hughes will forever change how and monitor the impact of and Iglo have joined we live, work, play and turbines on fsh, lobster, Norwegian, Russian and move,” said the province. marine mammals and sea European members of the Divestment / rabble.ca / Agence France- birds. The project is part fsh industry to take action campaigns gain Presse / The Globe and Mail of a global shift to clean against trawling and the steam energy. An International expansion of cod fshing Renewable Energy Agency in the previously frozen n April, the University (IRENA) report in May Northern Barents Sea area. of Ottawa became the I indicated that clean energy The area is twice the size of frst Canadian university jobs rose by about 5% France and home to polar to divest from fossil fuels in 2015 (to 8.1 million). bears, bowhead whales and move that money China accounted for 3.5 and Greenland sharks—all into clean energy, ahead million of those jobs, Brazil threatened by large-scale of pending decisions on had 918,000 workers in fshing. The Greenpeace whether to do the same at the sector and the U.S. ship Arctic Sunrise will be Dalhousie, Queen’s, UBC, recorded 769,000 clean monitoring the self-im- the University of Toronto, energy jobs. Canada was posed moratorium this and McGill. Geof Carter, Waving hello to in 11th place in the IRENA summer. A recent study an organizer with Fossil clean energy study, with about 36,400 valued the 2015 demand Free uOttawa, said the ndersea turbine arrays renewable-related jobs, for certifed sustainable university “has made a present signifcant well behind India, Japan, seafood at $US11 billion smart fnancial and ethical U advantages: the tides are Germany and France. Clean (C$14.14 billion), which decision that will make a predictable, the arrays Energy Canada blamed the is 35% higher than it was real diference in the fght are out of sight, they can “patchwork” of provincial 10 years ago, representing against climate change.” produce four times more policies and years of growth 10 times faster Around the same time, electricity than a wind underwhelming federal than conventional seafood Norway’s sovereign wealth turbine, the danger to birds support to this point. production over the same fund began divesting from is totally eliminated, and / EcoWatch / The Globe and period. “By giving fsher- coal in line with a 2015 because the blades turn Mail men an economic incentive decision to pull funding out very slowly the damage to to protect the environment, of mining or energy groups fsh and marine animals these initiatives have that derive more than 30% is low. Canada is one of the potential to help link of their sales or activities Ethical food several coastal countries— sustainable livelihoods from the dirty fuel. The evolution including the U.K., China, to sustainable production world’s largest fund has South Korea, the U.S. and he European Union will practices,” said lead author excluded 52 coal-related Australia—that are eyeball- ban, as of September 30, Jason Potts, a senior asso- companies from the U.S., T ing the technology, with 2016, the use of two endo- ciate at the International China, India, Japan and special interest in projects crine-disrupting herbicides, Institute for Sustainable several European countries. in the Bay of Fundy, with Amitrole and Isoproturon, Development. / Guardian “Further exclusions will its record-setting tides. which have been linked to U.K. / Greenpeace / IISD follow in 2016,” claimed Two gigantic turbines will cancer, infertility and birth Norway’s central bank, soon be submerged into a defects. Unfortunately, it which manages the waiting “berth” at the Fun- has come to light that U.S. fund. On the fipside of dy Ocean Research Centre trade ofcials used the divestment, the Ontario for Energy (FORCE) to test Transatlantic Trade and government announced large-scale in-stream tidal Investment Partnership 15 CAN CANADA’S MEDIA BE FIXED? Story by Marc Edge / Illustration by Raymond Biesinger

RAYMOND BIESINGER EMEMBER THE nasty shoot- ing the country’s largest newspaper performing well in a televised elec- ing war that broke out during chain and other media properties. Its tion debate. Two weeks later, rath- the last recession between television and newspaper assets were er surprisingly given her ratings at Canada’s TV networks and ca- sold off separately out of bankruptcy. the time, Clark and her Liberal par- R ble companies? The networks Quebecor retreated back to a provin- ty were re-elected. Mere days before threatened to shut down money-los- cial media empire in 2014 when it sold the federal election last fall, Postme- ing stations and bombarded viewers Sun Media, the country’s second-larg- dia ordered its editors to endorse the with commercials braying “Local TV est newspaper chain. So hare-brained Harper Conservatives and subject- Maters.” They claimed to be in dire was the partnership between newspa- ed the readers of several of its dai- financial straits and asked Otawa to pers and television that CTV and the lies to wraparound cover ads warn- force the carriage companies (Rog- Globe and Mail voluntarily dissolved ing that voting Liberal would “cost” ers, Shaw, Bell, etc.), which were mak- their 10-year marriage in 2010, joining them. In the end, such naked parti- ing lush profits despite the economic a worldwide de-convergence trend. sanship may have worked against downturn, to pay them 50 cents per We are now dealing with the conse- Harper’s re-election. It has certainly subscriber to rebroadcast over-the- quences of convergence and picking worked against Postmedia’s reputa- air programs the cable and satellite up the pieces of a media system that tion, which may never recover. providers had always carried for free. has been batered by technological The remaining chickens of Cana- The carriage companies fired back by change, regulatory neglect (as a 2006 da’s lax media ownership laws came threatening to pass along any retrans- Senate report termed it) and no small home to roost earlier this year when mission fees to their subscribers and amount of ownership connivance. As Postmedia announced it would running their own commercials with a result, we now have levels of own- merge the newsrooms of its duplicate the slogan “Stop the TV Tax.” ership concentration and vertical dailies in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmon- When federal hearings looked into integration—carriage companies ton and Otawa (despite its corporate the supposed financial plight of the owning television networks—that ancestor promising never to do so in networks, however, it turned out are among the highest in the world. Vancouver). That prompted parlia- they, too, were still making healthy The same few media conglomerates mentary hearings to seek a solution profits, just not as healthy as before, also own most of Canada’s radio sta- to the country’s crisis in local news and not nearly as plump as the unreg- tions, mobile phone companies and coverage, which has been ravaged by ulated cablecos. They were just look- lucrative Internet service providers mergers, layoffs and cutbacks by me- ing for a bit of wealth redistribution. (ISPs). The country’s largest news- dia companies that are again pleading In the end, the networks got the right paper chain is mostly owned by U.S. poverty due to plunging ad revenues to negotiate what they called “fee for hedge funds, which won the compa- and heavy debt. Can the country’s carriage.” But by then, in a dramatic ny for a song by buying up distressed broken media system be fixed? An reversal of fortune, the networks had Canwest debt for pennies on the dol- old saying about a horse and a barn all been, or were about to be, gobbled lar. The Harper government turned would seem to apply here. But with up by those very same carriage com- a blind eye to that flagrant end run a bit of foresight the evolving media panies. The Rogers cable conglomer- around Canada’s foreign ownership ecosystem could perhaps be nursed ate bought the City network in 2007, limits, then presided over the Com- back to some semblance of health. Shaw bought Global Television out of petition Bureau’s rubber-stamping bankruptcy in 2010, and Bell Canada, of Postmedia’s 2014 purchase of Sun he tragedy of media owner- which enjoys a monopoly on satellite Media. ship reform in Canada is that TV, reacquired a controlling interest In other words, we have a deci- T untimely changes in govern- in CTV later that year. mated news media in Canada. Much ment have thwarted its best oppor- These were the death throes of of the content found in newspapers tunities. In 1981, the Royal Commis- convergence, the media experiment and online news media nowadays is sion on Newspapers urged limits on that visited the world at the turn of not journalism at all but “sponsored” chain ownership, but these died on the millennium and found its great- content (also known as “native” ad- the vine because the ruling Liberals est foothold in Canada, because ours vertising) disguised as news. Postme- were soon replaced in government was one of the few countries with- dia now owns 15 of the 21 largest Eng- by the Progressive Conservatives out limits on television and newspa- lish-language newspapers in Cana- of Brian Mulroney. The new govern- per companies going into business da, including eight of the nine in the ment ditched even the lone restric- together. (The U.S. wisely maintains three westernmost provinces. Much tion on cross-media ownership that a ban to this day.) The theory was of their content is thinly disguised had been hastily enacted before the that all media were converging into propaganda for one cause or anoth- election per the commission’s warn- one digital medium, but it didn’t hap- er. In 2013, a front-page ad disguised ing. It opened the floodgates for the pen and almost certainly won’t. Glob- as a news story in Quebecor’s Van- convergence decade. Amid that pol- al TV’s former owner, Canwest Glob- couver commuter tabloid, 24 Hours, icy disaster, a Senate commitee be- al Communications, collapsed under enthusiastically declared Premier gan examining Canada’s news media, the weight of debt it took on buy- Christy Clark the “Comeback Kid” for issuing a report in 2006 that includ- 17 ed a scathing indictment of federal s the 2006 Senate report point- Both Western University and the Uni- regulatory failure. It recommend- ed out, much of the blame for versity of British Columbia (UBC) ed limiting media concentration the A Canada’s media mess can be are stained by fellowships named way some countries do, by applying a laid at the feet of two federal regu- afer Canwest Global Communica- local news “diversity” test in deciding latory agencies. The Canadian Ra- tions, which also no longer even ex- whether to allow a change in owner- dio-television and Telecommunica- ists. UBC’s graduate school of journal- ship. Bad timing again doomed that tions Commission (CRTC), which reg- ism is housed in the Sing Tao Building, initiative, as the Conservatives had ulates broadcasting, has for decades named afer the Hong Kong newspa- been elected with a minority govern- administered a program of “public per company that founded it. (The in- ment earlier that year. benefits” payments that allows the itial Sing Tao School of Journalism This time is different, or it could country’s few big media conglomer- was rendered generic in 2001 when be. The government is not about to ates to basically bribe their way to its endowing corporation defaulted fall but still setling in. The Liberals ever greater corpulence. While iron- on funding commitments.) Perhaps were elected with a strong mandate ically recognizing the perils of own- not coincidentally, academics seemed to reverse course from Harper’s de- ership concentration, the CRTC has to fall over each other during CRTC regulating tendencies; they now have nonetheless allowed big players like hearings in 2001 to testify to the ben- an opportunity to re-landscape Can- Rogers and Bell to grow bigger as efits that corporate convergence ada’s media. In a sign the new govern- long as they agree to compensato- would bring Canadian journalism. ment may seize the moment, Vancou- ry payments amounting to 10% of The Competition Bureau has ar- ver MP Hedy Fry promptly convened the purchase price of a licensed TV guably been even more derelict than heritage ministry hearings on local broadcaster or 6% in the case of radio. the CRTC in its duty to guard against news. “Our government has a strong In Bell’s $2.3-billion purchase of media monopolies. The 2006 Senate will to deal with this now,” she said in CTV in 2000, for example, the compa- report on news media deemed the February. “The thing about politics is ny had to promise to spend $230 mil- Competition Bureau a failure when that the time comes one day when lion on worthwhile projects before it came to media industry mergers stuff is facing you so hard that you the CRTC would sign off on the deal. and takeovers because it considers have to do something about it. That These public benefits payments, also only advertising revenues, not the in- time has come.” known as “tangible” benefits, usually formation needs of Canadians. “The But the horse is still out of the go to funding Canadian content, but Competition Bureau’s operating pro- barn. Can it be reined back in, or increasingly they have found their cedures may be well suited to analyz- would measures to boost the coun- way into higher education. One re- ing most markets for goods and ser- try’s emerging digital news media sult of the CTV takeover in 2000 was vices in Canada, but not the news me- show more foresight? Wise policy $3.5 million in funding for a Canadian dia market,” it concluded. moves now might help return Cana- Media Research Consortium set up by The report proposed changes to the da’s news media to something more several journalism schools. It prom- Competition Act to deal with media resembling the public service jour- ised critical research into Canada’s transactions differently, but Harp- nalism idealized in democratic theo- media but mostly delivered market- er’s election doomed any chance of re- ry. For that to happen, however, high- ing studies—despite the CRTC’s pro- form. A measure of his government’s er levels of competition and owner- scription against using public benefits negligence is that the Competition ship diversity will somehow have to funding for such purposes. Bureau failed to even hold hearings be arranged. And for that to happen, Ryerson University has several en- into Postmedia’s 2014 purchase of Sun we have to avoid or even redress past dowed chairs named afer corpora- Media, investigating it in secret in- mistakes. tions such as Bell and Rogers as a re- stead and refusing to release its mar- sult of their takeover payments, in- ket analysis. (Believe me, I’ve asked.) cluding, ironically, a Maclean-Hunt- The regulator absurdly concluded CONVERGENCE er Chair for Communications Ethics. that Postmedia’s owning both dai- CHRONOLOGY 1844 1908 1929 1936 Toronto Globe founded Southam expands into West- Aird commission on broad- Toronto Globe merges with ern Canada with purchase of casting recommends estab- the Mail and Empire to form the Calgary Herald; adds the lishment of government radio the Toronto Globe and Mail 1892 Edmonton Journal in 1912, network Toronto Star founded by print- the Winnipeg Tribune in 1920 ers striking the Toronto News and the Vancouver Province 1952 CBC Television begins broad- in 1922 1932 Canadian Radio Broadcasting casting with stations in Toron- 1896 Commission begins service; to, Montreal and Quebec; ser- Southam newspaper chain changes name to Canadian vice extended coast to coast founded when Hamilton Spec- Broadcasting Corporation in in 1958 tator owner William Southam 18 1936; also serves as broad- buys the Ottawa Citizen casting regulator ly newspapers in Calgary, Edmonton was perhaps most noticeable from tom line, began buying up the debt and Otawa wouldn’t harm consum- the outside. “Your media are not rep- of foundering newspaper companies ers or even advertisers there because resentative of your people, your val- across North America in the hope of those newspapers didn’t compete. ues,” Lawrence Martin reported a Eu- taking them over on the cheap when It is hard to resist the conclusion ropean diplomat telling him in a 2003 they emerged from bankruptcy. In that both the Competition Bureau Globe and Mail column. It was head- Canada, print media are supposed- and the CRTC have fallen victim to lined “It’s not Canadians who’ve gone ly subject to a de facto foreign own- the well-documented phenomenon to the right, just their media.” ership limit in the form of a tax pro- of regulatory “capture,” acting not Black passed the Southam dailies vision that requires 75% Canadian in the public interest but instead in to even more meddlesome owners on ownership for a company to be able the interests of the corporations they his way out the door. The Asper fami- write off advertising expenses. regulate. ly of Winnipeg pushed their own per- That should have discouraged the sonal hobby horses, including con- hedge funds, but instead they found anadian journalism was set on stant criticism of the CBC, which a loophole by taking most of their its course to banana republic they saw as unfair government-sub- ownership in the former Southam C status in large part by Conrad sidized competition for their Glob- newspapers as limited-voting shares. Black. He engineered a hostile take- al Television network, and unstint- Calling themselves Postmedia, hedge over of the historic family-owned ing support for Israel against the Pal- funds led by New York-based Gold- Southam newspaper chain in the estinians. But the Aspers were even enTree Asset Management and Sil- mid-1990s before renouncing his cit- less subtle in their wielding of power ver Point Capital thus owned an es- izenship in 2000 to take a seat in the than was Black, ordering “national” timated 58% of the company, but U.K. House of Lords. (Thence deli- editorials writen at company head- they claimed that other voting share- ciously to trial for fraud in Chicago quarters to be printed over the objec- holders, who were Canadian, actual- and to prison for five years in Florida.) tions of many Southam journalists ly controlled it. Their neatest trick, By then head of the third larg- who valued their local independence. however, was trading in only part of est press empire in the world, Black Columnists who didn’t conform the secured Canwest debt they held brought a level of political partisan- to the Asper family line soon found for its newspaper division, retain- ship to Canadian news media not themselves out of work. Otawa Cit- ing enough that they would be first seen since the “party press” era of the izen publisher Russell Mills was fired in line with a claim on the company 19th century. He abhorred the “sof lib- in 2002 for running an editorial con- in the event it went bankrupt again eral” journalism he felt marked much trary to company policy in one of the (which now looks likely). of Canada’s news media and sought to defining acts of a bleak chapter in Ca- The Harper government turned a imbue it instead with the hard-head- nadian journalism history. It all came blind eye to all of this financial engi- ed neoconservatism he pushed in his down in the crash of 2008–09 afer neering and then watched as Postme- newspapers in the U.S., the U.K., and Canwest became over-extended with dia bought the Sun Media chain for Israel. Black founded the National billions in debt from all its acquisi- $315 million in 2014. As a result, the Post in 1998 with the expressed in- tions. Bankruptcy promised beter hedge funds are now bleeding dry tent, emblazoned on its first front ownership because, well, it couldn’t not one but two Canadian newspa- page, to “Unite the Right” of Cana- get much worse, could it? Not so fast. per chains due to the hefy interest da’s fractured conservatives parties. rates (up to 12.5%) on the debt they On cue, much of the country’s he recent collapse of the news- hold. news media turned rightward. Soon paper industries in the U.S. and The Internet was supposed to neoconservative politics and neolib- T Canada has seen a new type of make all of this irrelevant. Old media eral economic prescriptions were fill- owner emerge. Faceless and secre- were said to be not long for this world ing the pages of other once progres- tive hedge funds, “vulture” capital- once online media took hold. There sive Southam dailies. The sea change ists whose only fealty is to the bot- was only one small problem with

1958 1961 1970 1974 Board of Broadcast Governors CTV network launched Senate report on mass me- Global Television network replaces CBC as broadcasting dia recommends Press Own- launched; bought by Winni- regulator; renamed Canadi- ership Review Board to slow peg-based CanWest Capi- an Radio and Television Com- 1965 press ownership concentra- tal Corp., re-named CanWest Toronto Globe and Mail mission in 1968 and Canadi- tion Global Communications bought by Winnipeg-based FP an Radio-television and Tele- Publications communications Commission in 1976 1971 1978 Toronto Sun tabloid founded Sun Publishing founded, adds after closure of Toronto Tele- Edmonton Sun; adds Calgary gram broadsheet Sun in 1980, Ottawa Sun in 1988; renamed Sun Media in 19 1996 that notion: except for giant plat- ernment influence, but this ignores ada is effectively in disarray,” the re- forms like Google and Facebook, on- the fact that news media have histor- port observed, noting that jurisdic- line news media have found it hard to ically benefited from subsidies rang- tion over charitable status belongs to make money in the Darwinian world ing from low postal rates to govern- the provinces, yet Otawa is in charge of the Internet. In stark contrast to ment advertising to free broadcast- of defining charity. “Parliament has newspapers and television, where ing licences, which press baron Roy been so afraid to discuss the defini- the preferred business model is mo- Thomson famously described as “like tion of charity that the one and only nopoly, the Internet allows anyone to having a licence to print your own discussion, which took place in the post a website and sell ads on it. Over- money.” Scandinavian countries have 1930s, was truncated and lef to the supply thus drives down online ad- long subsidized their press to stave courts because of the difficult politi- vertising rates to a fraction of what off the wasting disease that has af- cal nature of the discussion. (That is, legacy media still command. Ironi- flicted the newspaper industries in no MP wanted to be seen as disparag- cally, newspapers and television sta- North America. As a result, they con- ing a ‘good cause’). The key question tions continue to post enviable prof- tinue to enjoy thriving press systems is why the provinces have decided it margins, albeit on greatly reduced with diversity of both ownership and to abdicate their jurisdiction in this revenues. Their profits, however, are viewpoint, plus press freedom rank- area.” This is obviously one funding enabled only by constantly cuting ings that are among the highest in avenue in which federal policy lead- costs, mostly to original journalism. the world, unlike in the U.S. and Can- ership could work wonders. By contrast, the few digital start- ada. ups that have emerged in Canada One model that has been employed ne ambitious new prescription have had to seek funding beyond ad- to some effect in other countries is for saving the news media em- vertising. Online subscriptions have charitable not-for-profit news me- O anates from France and could shown promise at some online publi- dia companies. In the U.S., dozens of not only secure funding for new me- cations such as allNovaScotia in Hal- digital news startups have emerged dia startups but would also make ifax, which started in 2004 and is said since the recession due to laws that them considerably more democratic to be profitable with 10,000 subscrib- allow them to claim non-profit sta- than today’s corporate media. Econ- ers, each paying $30 a month. The tus and accept tax-deductible dona- omist Julia Cagé proposes a model Tyee in Vancouver has been provid- tions from foundations and individ- for news media that is halfway be- ing a progressive slant on the oppo- uals. These companies, designated tween a foundation and a stock issu- site coast since 2003, but it is heavily under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax ing company. A nonprofit media or- subsidized by labour unions. If every code, must re-invest any profits they ganization (NMO) would be able to town in Canada had a similar online make and may not pay dividends to accept tax-deductible donations, in news outlet to supplement its dwin- investors. Online publications such exchange for which it would issue dling legacy media, the local news cri- as MinnPost, Voice of San Diego, Pro- shares of ownership to donors that sis would be eased considerably. The Publica, and the Texas Tribune are would not trade publicly. Readers problem is, there remain significant thus able to perform valuable pub- and employees could also buy shares barriers to digital news media suc- lic affairs reporting and even inves- with voting rights disproportionate ceeding in Canada compared to oth- tigative journalism that legacy me- to those of larger shareholders. Pow- er countries. dia are now hard-pressed to afford. er would thus be diffused through- According to a recent study by in- out the organization and not con- overnment subsidies have been stitutes at the University of Oxford fined to those with the most shares. proposed by some as an an- and Yale University, however, Cana- “The question is not whether the G swer to both keeping old me- da is one of the few English-speaking media should be subsidized,” writes dia alive and incubating new media. countries in which non-profit news Cagé in her slim tome Saving the Me- Most self-respecting journalists are media cannot claim charitable sta- dia. “It is rather whether they should leery of anything that smacks of gov- tus. “The charitable system in Can- be granted a favourable legal and tax

1980 Thomson closes the Ottawa 1981 1998 FP Publications taken over by Journal, sells the Vancouver Royal Commission on News- Sun Media bought by Quebe- Thomson Corp. Sun to Southam, which clos- papers finds 59% of Eng- cor; adds Winnipeg Sun 1999 es its Winnipeg Tribune; Royal lish-language dailies pub- Globe and Mail rebranded as Commission on Newspapers lished by Thomson and national daily, begins publish- called to investigate Southam, recommends limits 2000 ing across Canada using sat- Bell Canada Enterprises buys on chain ownership ellite technology CTV network Canwest Global Communica- 1996 tions buys Southam Newspa- Conrad Black’s Hollinger Inc. pers from Hollinger takes over Southam; launch- 20 es National Post 1998 status in recognition of their contri- year that require sponsored content pires dating back to ancient Egypt, bution to democracy.” She points to to be clearly labeled as such. Web- inevitably results in control of its po- the example of universities as or- sites or print publications that fail litical and economic life. According to ganizations that are able to receive to adequately distinguish between McLuhan, changes to the dominant tax-deductible gifs because they advertising and journalism risk be- medium in a society bring fundamen- play a similar societal role. “The news ing prosecuted for deceptive practic- tal shifs in social organization and media provide a public good, just as es. Otawa needs to similarly protect even sensory perception. universities and other contributors consumers by drawing clear lines be- Neil Postman, the American schol- to the knowledge economy of the 21st tween journalism and hucksterism. ar who helped revive interest in what century do,” argues Cagé. “For that came to be called “medium theory” reason they deserve special treat- he Royal Commission on News- in the 1980s, pointed to the ability of ment by the government.” papers was “born out of shock a dominant medium to influence a Another possible alternative might T and trauma,” its report ob- society’s definition of fundamental be a national network of govern- served, afer established dailies in concepts such as intelligence or even ment-funded digital mojos (mobile Winnipeg and Otawa were folded by truth. Political discourse, he warned, journalists) covering local communi- their corporate owners on the same had sunk to dangerous levels of ab- ties. But we already have a national day in 1980, creating two more local surdity under television compared network of government-funded jour- monopolies. Its year-long investiga- to the more rational regime of the nalists. It’s called the CBC. Restoring tion of the Canadian news media also printing press. Few could have fore- the funding cutbacks endured by examined the digital alternative then seen the changes wrought by online “the Ceeb” during the Harper decade looming on the horizon. media, where search engines, blogs might provide an opportunity to re- “Canada is in a favored position to and social media now rule. orient the government broadcaster understand this new technology, to When the tsunami of convergence away from broadcasting and more develop it, exploit it, and benefit from washed over Canada at the millenni- toward the online realm. Hyper-lo- it,” the commission report noted. “We um, few could similarly have predict- cal mojos could feed into the nation- have a solid foundation of theoret- ed how it would reshape the coun- al network via the CBC website and ical studies in modern communica- try’s media. Regulators who con- also provide basic audio and video for tions, largely because of the work of sidered in 2001 whether to limit the radio and TV. Local CBC news web- the economic historian Harold Inn- merging of television and newspa- sites could offer a basic service free to is, who died in 1952, and Marshall pers decided to let it run its course, all, but also provide access to longer- McLuhan, the media philosopher, which unfortunately went straight form journalism and special features who died in 1980. McLuhan, strong- into the ground. “They prefer to get a to those willing to pay a subscription ly influenced by Innis, altered man- good handle on how convergence will fee in the ofen successful “freemi- kind’s appreciation of the influence develop before trying to regulate it,” um” model. of media.” noted the Globe and Mail. “Technol- Once a more diverse and democrat- Today considered founders of the ogy is changing so quickly, they say, ic news ecosystem is thriving, all that so-called Toronto School, afer the that there is no clear indication how would be lef for government to do university where they developed cultural diversity will fare.” is police the worst excesses of what their ideas, Innis and McLuhan rev- Now that we have a beter idea of passes for journalism these days. The olutionized thinking about media in- some of the perils inherent in this Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. fluence in the 1950s and ’60s by focus- brave new media world, it behooves has already taken publishers to task ing on their form rather than their government to finally act in the for potentially misleading readers content. As McLuhan famously put public interest. Fortunately, when it by presenting advertising in a for- it, “the medium is the message.” Con- comes to Canadian news media, there mat that resembles news or feature trol of any society’s dominant medi- is no shortage of good ideas for do- content. It issued guidelines late last um, Innis realized by examining em- ing so. M

Thomson merges its Globe 2003 2009 2014 and Mail with Bell Canada En- Lincoln report on broadcast- Canwest Global Communi- Postmedia Network buys Sun terprises to create Bellglobe- ing urges federal policy on cations declares bankrupt- Media from Quebecor; merg- media; renamed CTVglobeme- media convergence cy; Global Television network es newsrooms in Vancouver, dia when Bell Canada divests bought by Shaw Communica- Calgary, Edmonton and Otta- majority ownership in 2005 tions; newspapers bought by wa in 2016 2006 Postmedia Network Quebecor buys Groupe Vide- Senate report on news media otron, including TVA network urges limits on media domi- 2016 nance of any market; feder- 2010 Heritage ministry hearings on al government issues policy CTV network and Globe and news and local communities response endorsing conver- Mail dissolve partnership commenced gence 21 Media Susan Delacourt Trust me, I’m a journalist The public puts more faith in the media than most other institutions

HE BUSINESS model for second in terms of public trust, just Canadian journalism is 89% of behind not-for-profit organizations. widely agreed to be broken. While 59% of respondents said they Advertising revenues are Canadians trusted the not-for-profits to “do botoming out, subscrip- favour editorial what is right for Canada,” the news tions and paywalls aren’t media was close behind with 54%. Tfilling the gap and newsrooms are content over word Moreover, the news media was being radically downsized. of mouth and social rated higher on the trust index than But journalism has never been just media as their preferred small corporations (44%), large cor- a business like any other. It also has news source for current porations (29%) or even government a public service role—keeping citi- events (40%). So even if journalism is a busi- zens informed and giving them the ness, a sizeable chunk of the popula- information they need to be part of a tion does not think of it in the same functioning society. Businesses work 69% way as it does other corporations, es- largely around giving people what in traditional pecially when it comes to trust. The they want; public service is giving public depends on journalism for people what they need. media such trusted information on everything The problem, in a digital age, is as TV, radio from current events to brands and that while we can measure what cit- or newspaper products. izens want to consume in the me- When Environics asked where peo- dia (counting clicks and likes and ple preferred to get current news, a retweets) we are less adept at meas- clear majority (69%) said they would uring what they need. So how do we go to traditional editorial content in measure whether journalism is ful- a newspaper, on TV or on the radio. A filling its public service function? 52% slimmer majority (52%) said they pre- One new poll may help answer ferred online news sites. And when that question. It turns out the pub- in online people do seek out information on- lic needs information it can trust, news sites line, a full 82% of respondents said and that the news media, despite the most trusted content came from the challenges on the business side, the traditional news media. Social are still best placed to deliver that media channels such as Facebook product. (31%) and Twiter (10%) were far less Earlier this year, the Environics preferred as sources of news, even if polling firm set out to measure the they account for a growing source of state of public trust in Canada in its clicks to news content (see article by inaugural CanTrust Index. The find- Davis Carr in this section). ings, somewhat surprisingly, turned 29% The CanTrust index also shows into what Bruce MacLellan, CEO of in media there may be doubts about what’s Environics Communications, called mobile apps become of one of the golden rules of a “good news story” for the tradition- the digital news universe—that fast- al news media. er is beter. Respondents to this sur- According to the survey, carried vey said that if they have to choose out between February 29 and March between speed and accuracy, they 7 with 1,001 people, journalism enjoys prefer to have the facts straight. a lot more trust than all kinds of busi- “We asked them to rank their ness in Canada—especially big busi- preference between geting the in- ness. In fact, the news media ranked SOURCE: ENVIRONICS CANTRUST INDEX 2016 formation quickly, even if it might 22 be wrong, or geting it accurately… Jaded journalism veterans may and 78% chose accuracy,” MacLel- see some dark humour in the lan said. “So it’s kind of a referen- way this poll puts the news me- Buried and dum on real journalism versus cit- dia alongside non-profit organiza- izen journalism and 78% prefer ac- tions in terms of public trust. The forgotten curacy over speed when it comes to journalism business didn’t intend breaking news events.” to be non-profit, but its failing for- Once again, there’s that distinc- tunes over the past few years have Newspaper articles are tion between wants and needs: me- plunged a lot of the media into the key sources of information dia consumers may want their in- non-profitable category. Trust may about workplace injuries formation to arrive quickly, but be a precious commodity, but you and fatalities. Yet research they also recognize they need it to can’t deposit it in a bank. on Alberta newspaper ar- be accurate. Or can you? ticles published between Political leaders were also ranked Perhaps the CanTrust Index 2009 and 2014 suggests a in the CanTrust index, not by name points to where journalism should misleading picture is being but by job title. Mayors enjoyed be concentrating its efforts in the presented. The results of slightly more trust than the prime days and years ahead—to focus less this research are contained in a new Parkland minister (50% for municipal leaders on what the public wants and more Institute report by Jason Foster and Bob Barnet- compared to 46% for the PM) and on what it needs. Click-bait stories son called Buried and Forgotten: Newspaper Cov- premiers were much lower down may be good for business, but do erage of Workplace Injury and Death in Alberta. with 34% trust. they feed the public’s more serious “You know that saying, that all need for trusted information? Specifcally, the report fnds: politics is local? In many ways, rep- If, as the Environics poll sug- Women’s experiences of workplace injury utation is local too,” MacLellan said. gests, reputation is all about ' are almost entirely ignored. This refects the That really is the overall theme of what’s closest to home, the media over-reporting of injuries to men and injuries this poll: trust, like charity, begins with the best prospects may be lo- to workers in blue-collar occupations. close to home. Creating jobs in local cal media, and precisely the type communities is the best way for pol- that has been geting some of the ' The vast majority of workplace injuries are iticians and organizations to earn worst cuts during the downward never reported. Instead, reporters focus almost citizens’ trust, and word-of-mouth business spirals. This new trust in- exclusively on (relatively rare) occupational fa- recommendations are the most dex could serve as a warning that talities. trusted form of endorsements. the more cuts to local information, Reporters rely heavily on government and em- MacLellan suggests this all-poli- the greater peril to the trust that ' ployer sources in the stories. Workers and their tics-is-local angle may explain why Canadians still seem to hold in the advocates are rarely quoted about an incident the new Liberal government is de- media. or its causes. voting so much time and money to Every journalist has tales of jug- infrastructure projects. They are gling the want-versus-need issue, ' Reporters use three basic story templates that unsexy, as Prime Minister Justin sometimes on a day-to-day basis. frame workplace injuries as under investigation, Trudeau has said, but very connect- Sure, they think, this story will before the courts, or human tragedies. ed with people’s day-to-day lives. draw a lot of eyeballs, but should Together, these three media frames create a me- Oddly, the index shows that peo- I be concentrating instead on the ta-narrative wherein injuries are isolated events ple may trust their friends’ word more boring or complicated story that happen to “others,” and for which no one is more than their own experience or that will affect more people’s lives? responsible (except maybe the worker). This, in judgment. Recommendations from If you see journalism as a busi- turn, suggests the public need not be concerned friends and associates were deemed ness like any other, the choice is about workplace safety. slightly more valuable as a source of clear. If trust is part of the calcula- information than direct, hands-on tion, though, journalists may want This inaccurate picture may skew public percep- experience (75% to 73%). But here to slow down and take the time to tions of workplace injury, with Alberta workers, again, the media seems to have a tell the story the public needs to members of the public and policy-makers po- role to play in the trust business. know. tentially underestimating the risk of workplace More than half of the respond- This new poll may not give easy injury, and dampening demand for efective oc- ents (55%) also said that editorial answers on fixing the business cupational health and safety (OHS) enforcement, coverage in the media had a big in- problems with the media industry. which Alberta currently lacks. The ultimate con- fluence on their trust of products, But it does point the way to how sequence is that workers continue to be need- services, brands and organizations. journalism can continue to fulfil its lessly injured and killed on the job. That editorial coverage, moreover, public service role. The public, or at To read the report: was most trusted when it came least a large part of it in this survey, www.parklandinstitute.ca/buried_and_forgotten from traditional media such as “TV, does not see journalism as just an- radio or newspaper.” other business. M (Monitor staf) 23 Media Ann Douglas Why the media loves to bash parents

EY, PARENTS, have you argues children are now essentially comfort?”, before directing readers to heard? We’re doing it all controlling their parents. The cata- the website of a leadership training wrong. In fact, we could strophic result: “a collapse of parent- and development company that sells be the worst generation ing worldwide.” leadership curriculums to post-sec- of parents ever. At least In step with Sax’s book, the Ma- ondary schools, colleges and univer- that’s the impression you clean’s article catalogues the sup- sities. Hget from reading the news. posed failings of the current gener- As any mom or dad can see, par- ation of children: they’re selfish and ent-blaming is back in vogue (if it We’re too controlling entitled, lazy and unfocused, and ever went out of fashion). But what’s The media love this one. It’s summed emotionally fragile. Who’s to blame? behind the current media obsession up in the myth of the helicopter par- Why, mom and dad, of course. with cataloguing our childrearing ent—that today’s parents are stunt- sins, real or imagined? Could it be ing their offspring’s development We’re making them fat that the mainstream media, and the by always hovering, ready to swoop Speaking of juicy headlines, last No- power elites they represent, have a down and rescue them from danger. vember, British broadcaster and col- vested interest in promoting the It’s a compelling narrative inevitably umnist Julia Hartley-Brewer confi- “parents are doing it wrong” narra- backed up by anecdotes. Like, there dently proclaimed in The Telegraph, tive? was that one time when a friend of a “If your child is fat then you are a I think they do. It feeds the idea we friend spoted a parent doing some- bad parent.” In case that was too sub- can privatize the problem of parent- thing that seemed a litle over the tle, a wordy subhead hammered the ing, shif the responsibility for rais- top. Enough said. message home: “Lazy, selfish parents ing the next generation even fur- But, as author and educator Alfie would rather let their child shovel ther from the public to the private Kohn noted in a hard-hiting Salon sweets into their gob than take them sphere. Forget that “it takes a village” article last September, only a handful to the park.” nonsense. Society didn’t decide you of researchers have atempted to put Never mind that there might not should become a parent—you did. helicopter parenting under the micro- be a park within walking distance of Now deal with it (in this carefully scope, and the evidence they’ve uncov- your home—if your child is fat, it’s designed, and ofen quite profitable, ered reveals a minimal effect at best. your fault. Hartley-Brewer is une- way) or be named and shamed. A more compelling body of re- quivocal, again despite a lack of ev- When we over-personalize the search shows that good things hap- idence to prove her point: “[L]et’s act of parenting, we sidestep all the pen when parents are actively in- stop all this namby-pamby, patron- structural improvements that would volved in their children’s lives, in- ising rubbish about how these par- make raising a child easier for every- cluding improved academic perfor- ents don’t know any beter and are one. Things like access to quality ear- mance in college-aged kids. That may just as much victims themselves. ly learning programs, early interven- be a good news story, but it’s hardly They’re not victims. They are child tion for children with mental health a juicy headline. abusers, in the same way that any problems, and more generous income parent who deliberately and know- support to reduce inequality among We aren’t controlling enough ingly harms the health of their child young children, which can have long- Talk about mental whiplash! Not only is an abuser.” term negative effects on a person’s are we too controlling—we’re simul- health, employment and, yes, their taneously not controlling enough. We’re making them unemployable capacity to excel. According to Julia Gulli’s January As a final point, it seems that when Of course, those things cost mon- cover story in Maclean’s (one of the we’re not damaging our kids’ lives ey and require a collective commit- most-read articles in the magazine’s today, we’re sabotaging their future. ment to truly caring for children (as history) we have abdicated our re- That’s the view of consultant Kathy opposed to merely paying lip service sponsibilities as parents. Gulli zeroed Caprino, who catalogued the “7 Crip- to the idea). It’s easier and cheaper in on the latest book by U.S. pediatri- pling Parenting Behaviors That Keep to privatize the blame—to scorn the cian and parenting pundit Leonard Children From Growing into Leaders” many types of “bad parents” we read Sax, The Collapse of Parenting How in her January 2014 article for Forbes. about in the news—than it is to com- We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat She asks, “Are you sacrificing their mit to doing what’s best for children Them Like Grown-Ups, in which he long-term growth for short-term and their parents. M 24 NOTES ON LAYOUT: I’ve contracted the illustra- tion for a half-page but we may be able to use it as a spread, which could be quite striking. This image is also not the final (we can’t use the Gizmodo ver- sion, so we’ll get one without the face on it. Please break up the text with a large starting letter at *** Dwayne Winseck below. Please use highlighted text as pull quotes.

A radical communication and cultural policy for Canada

PHOTO BY CHRIS MCVEIGH

HE MEDIA economy in Can- gish since the global financial crisis media” don’t so much as die as get ada is large, complex and of 2008. Some media have stagnat- remade for new times. growing fast. Total revenue ed, especially those that are adver- These crosscuting trends have quadrupled, from $19 billion tising supported (e.g., broadcast TV, sparked an intense batle over the to $75.4 billion, between 1984 radio). Still others appear to be in de- institutional arrangements that will and 2014. Wholly new media cline, such as basic telephone service, define the network media economy Thave been added to the scene, begin- newspapers and magazines. Newspa- in the decades ahead, and perhaps for ning with pay TV and mobile wire- per revenue plunged from $5.6 billion much of the 21st century. While none less services in the 1980s, then Inter- in 2006 to $3.7 billion in 2014, with no of the political parties said much net access and Internet advertising end in sight to the trend, although about such maters in their election thereafer, while cable, satellite and some displaced journalists have platforms, the new Liberal govern- IPTV (Internet protocol television) planted the seeds of promising new ment in Otawa has put three parlia- services grew greatly. These are now journalistic ventures (think iPolitics, mentary reviews into motion since the core sectors of the broadband In- Canadaland, the National Observer, taking office: one on the state of the ternet and mobile wireless–centric etc.). We must also keep in mind that media and journalism, headed by MP media order. Today, if content is king, several media recently thought to be Hedy Fry; a top-to-botom review of connectivity is emperor. at death’s door—books, the music broadcasting, arts and culture poli- While some media are growing industry and postal services—have cy spearheaded by Heritage Minister fast, the growth of the network me- made a comeback. Ofentimes, “old Melanie Joly; and a third, canvassing dia economy has generally been slug- views on the future of Canada Post,

25 led by Public Services Minister Judy Given this vast Yes, we live in an age of informa- Foote. tion abundance, not scarcity, and the On top of this, the CRTC came “digital eco- regulatory regime must reflect this down with four landmark rulings system,” the reality. A hundred hours of video are last year that have roiled the indus- uploaded to YouTube every minute. try, largely because the rulings stem “separate silos” Netflix had about four million sub- from a common concern: high levels approach set scribers in Canada in 2014; four-and- of concentration in certain broad- a-half times that number have a Face- band Internet, mobile wireless and out in the Tele- book account, which they use to stay TV markets. The commission also communications Act in touch with family and friends and just wound up its comprehensive re- to share the news. view of whether the idea of univer- and Broadcasting Buzzfeed, the Huffington Post and sal, affordable basic telecoms servic- Act is out of sync Vice now produce original journal- es available to all Canadians should ism. According to the most recent be expanded to include broadband with the lay of the Statistics Canada data, there’s about Internet access and, if so, at what land. the same number of journalists in standards of speed, quality and af- Canada today as there were in 2000 fordability. And it is currently ex- (roughly 12,000), which is significant- amining whether mobile virtual net- ly more journalists than were work- work operators (MVNOs)—a type of ing in the 1980s and 1990s. The pro- competitor that doesn’t own its own portion of freelancers to full-time networks, but buys wholesale access tems, and they are pressing hard to reporters, however, is way up (see from others to offer services in the shape things in the direction they Nora Loreto’s story in this section). retail mobile phone market—should want. Creative and production-ori- And whereas there were four peo- be given a greater chance to enter the ented groups in the broadcasting in- ple working for the “spin professions” market. MVNOs like Ting, Freedom dustries, such as the Canadian Me- (public relations, marketing, adver- Pop, and many others in the U.S. and dia Producers Association (CMPA), tising) for every journalist in 1987, to- Europe, offer discount, no-frill cell- the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) day the ratio is 8:1, and the pay gap phone service targeted at people who and the Friends of Canadian Broad- between the two has grown greatly would otherwise probably not have a casting, want content quotas and in favour of those with something to cellphone at all. They are non-exist- cross-subsidies kept, but also an up- sell over those producing the news ent in Canada. date to the “cultural policy toolkit” so we need to know. Of final import, the CRTC has that it includes Internet service pro- The sheer magnitude of the infor- just launched a review of the fu- viders (ISPs), mobile phones, Netflix mation environment can also be ex- ture of common carriage, or as it is and other over-the-top (OTT) servic- pressed in the number of outlets: in beter known these days, net neu- es like Rogers and Shaw’s co-owned 2014, there were 695 licensed TV ser- trality. The details of such things shomi and Bell’s CraveTV. vices operating in Canada, 1,107 radio can make eyes glaze over, but the The “Big 5” telecoms and media gi- stations and 92 paid daily newspa- essence of the principle boils down ants (Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Shaw and pers. Most Canadians have a smart- to this: those who own the “pipes” Quebecor), along with their hired phone and a broadband Internet con- should not be permited to unjustly guns and think-tank allies at the C.D. nection, and by global standards we discriminate between or influence Howe, Fraser and Montreal Econom- use them a lot to communicate with the meaning or content of the mes- ic institutes, however, argue the days one another and to access all man- sages, apps and services that flow of the broadcasting system are done. ner of content. through them. All of these efforts of- All eyes must now be on the “digital Given this vast “digital eco-system,” fer enormous opportunities for good eco-system,” they say; markets are the “separate silos” approach set out things to happen, but also for much fiercely competitive because every- in the Telecommunications Act and mischief, especially if those lobbying one is being forced to compete vig- Broadcasting Act is out of sync with the new government day and night orously across this system instead the lay of the land. The C.D. Howe In- get their way. (Bell alone lobbied MPs of within just a few media indus- stitute argues the system should be and departments 32 times—near- tries as in times past. More urgent- brought under general competition ly twice a week—from the time the ly, these groups assert that even the law; funding and promoting Cana- new Trudeau government assumed biggest companies in Canada are but dian content might remain the bail- power in November until the end of lightweights thrown into batle with iwick of the CRTC and Department March.) unregulated global Internet behe- of Canadian Heritage, but the Com- moths Apple, Google, Facebook and petition Bureau should take over for range of vested interests have Netflix—a digital free-for-all of glob- everything else. Continue to fund the grown up around the tele- al proportions is playing out in our CBC, argues the institute and indus- A coms and broadcasting sys- own backyard. try, but keep it on a short leash to stop 26 it from competing with commercial nections blocked, and indeed Netflix circumstances, also think that us- media in new Internet news and en- has begun to do just that. Pirate web- ing broadband access and wireless tertainment markets. Cancon fund- sites should also be blocked, say these carriers to prop up the “broadcast- ing should also be limited to what the groups. They may as well be asking to ing system” is a bad idea. The as- market will not support and done out build higher walls around the nation, sumption that, were it not for TV of the general public purse versus the with fewer doors—a retrograde cul- programs produced by the cultural Byzantine system of cross-subsidies tural nationalism for the 21st century. industries, ISPs and wireless carri- that now exists. The marriage of convenience be- ers offer litle more than a connec- Dig deeper into the weeds of this tween Canada’s industry giants and tion between blank screens is also of- advocacy and vitally important new culture warriors breaks down, how- fensive. It rests on crude measures terrain emerges. The rules must ever, over proposals to treat ISPs and of Internet traffic that fail to distin- change, say these groups, to reflect mobile wireless operators as broad- guish completely between the value the baseline fact that all the major casters under the Broadcasting Act. of a simple text sent between lovers, telephone companies (except TELUS) Cultural policy advocates like the for example, and the huge bandwidth now own the country’s biggest TV idea because currently the largest used to deliver the latest episode of services (this is vertical integration). source of funding for Cancon is the Orange is the New Black. If these entities want to bundle TV Canadian Media Fund (CMF). Most Things might be fine if those push- services together in exclusive pack- of this money comes from cable and ing to update the “cultural policy ages tied to Internet subscriptions, satellite TV operators who pay 5% toolkit” by dragging everything into mobile wireless or cable services, so of their annual revenue—just un- it could just be lef to their quixot- be it. Doing so will foster dynamic der half a billion dollars—to support ic pursuits. Alas, the issues are more competition between well-resourced Canadian TV programming. Based on complicated because the telcos ap- rivals (the “Big 5”) and the global In- their relative size, turning ISPs and pear to only reject being defined as ternet giants. If mobile wireless oper- mobile wireless carriers into broad- broadcasters to avoid funding Can- ators and ISPs want to act like broad- casters would multiply the CMF four- con. Otherwise they are pressing the casters (or publishers), exempting fold. Presto! Whatever woes now af- CRTC and Federal Court of Appeals, services like Bell’s Mobile TV or Vid- flict broadcast TV entertainment and lobbying the government, to be eotron’s Music Unlimited from the and journalism would vanish, appar- permited to be broadcasters in order data caps and expensive overage ently. Those pitching this idea say it’s to be able to bundle and discount ser- charges they apply to everything else only fair because people use the In- vices across the digital eco-system as sent through their pipes, why not? ternet and smartphones to watch TV, they see fit. This would allow them The practice is known as zero-rating, and since some of the value of their to act as carriers in one moment, and its supporters argue that people Internet access and wireless sub- broadcasters the next, with the line benefit from the “free” or steeply dis- scriptions comes from such activ- between each known only to the “Big counted services on offer. Moreover, ities they should be tapped to sup- 5.” Thus, if Bell and Videotron wanted zero-rating can be used to subsidize port Canadian television. to create mobile TV or streaming mu- poor people’s access to the Internet The CRTC, Federal Court of Ap- sic services and to treat such activi- and mobile phones, and to advance peals and Supreme Court have re- ties as broadcasting (to evade charges cultural policy goals by zero-rating jected this idea for nearly two dec- of unfair discrimination under com- Cancon while applying data caps to ades. The telcos and net neutrality mon carriage rules), all to boost their “foreign” content, for example. advocates, mortal foes under most subscriber numbers and ARPU (aver- On this last point the major play- age revenue per user), that would be ers make common cause with the fine. That choice should be lef to “the CMPA, Friends of Canadian Broad- market,” not regulators, they say. Be- casting, WGC and so forth. All agree cause in the all-encompassing “digital that zero-rating Cancon while apply- eco-system” there should be only one ing data caps to “foreign” content is Neither the media set of rules, and those rules should a great way to advance cultural poli- companies nor flow from competition law—not the cy goals. They also agree that the tel- values, laws or lessons of communi- cos and ISPs should put their thumbs the cultural policy cation history. on the scales in favour of the “na- groups seem to Neither the media companies nor tional rights market” by blocking the cultural policy groups seem to access to foreign content that Ca- give a damn that give a damn that Canadians loathe nadian companies have bought the Canadians loathe data caps and the expensive overage rights to exploit inside our borders. charges they entail. Nor do they seem This means Canadian Netflix sub- data caps and the to care that using data caps along the scribers who use VPNs (virtual pri- expensive overage lines they propose would constitute vate networks) to tap into Netflix’s a thinly veiled way to regulate peo- U.S. catalogue could find those con- charges they entail. ple’s speech by economic means. Both 27 groups want to use public policy to main- Of course, there are crucial excep- tain systems—one cultural, one econom- tions to this general finding, such as ra- ic—and neither has any sense that we dio, magazines and Internet news sourc- are talking about creating the informa- es. Canadians now get their news from a Bell tion infrastructure and communications wide plurality of outlets old (CBC, Post- universe of the 21st century. Both turn a media, The Toronto Star, CTV) and new

57.2% 27.8% blind eye, or worse, sneer at the values (Huffington Post, Buzzfeed), domes- and history that animate the common tic and foreign (BBC, ABC-Yahoo!, The carrier (net neutrality) concept. Values Guardian U.K., The New York Times). like fairness, freedom of expression for Other core elements of the Internet, those who subscribe to broadband ac- however, are highly concentrated, in- cess networks (versus those who own cluding mobile and wireline broadband the pipes), privacy, creating common networks, search engines, online adver- technical standards (so people can put tising, browsers, operating systems and together the networks, services, content social networking sites (see the CMCR and apps as they see fit, like a giant set of Project report, Media and Internet Con- Lego building blocks), and competition. centration in Canada, 1984–2014, for the Following either of the “systems main- technical details). tenance” views would bury a new layer Concentration levels in TV have Rogers of controls into communication net- soared in the past five years afer three 16.3% works that collides with how people major deals transformed the TV land- use and think about the Internet and scape. In 2010, Shaw bought the Glob- their phones. Few other ideas would do al TV network and a stable of special- more to turn people off—to delegitimize ty and pay channels from the bankrupt from the get-go—a renewed cultural pol- Canwest, giving the company 50 TV ser- icy agenda fit for the digital age. We need vices as well as its concurrent owner-

Vertically integrated companies’ market share share companies’ market integrated Vertically to fight these ideas with all our might. ship of Corus Entertainment. Bell’s ac- Shaw quisition of CTV and Astral Media, in 7.7% From the “systems view” 2011 and 2013 respectively, furthered the to “Lego-land” trend. Bell now accounts for more than a third of all revenues in the TV indus- Quebecor e need to think about the try, with more than 70 TV channels in- 5.3% broadband-centric media ecol- cluding CTV, CTV News, TSN, RDS, HBO, W ogy differently. Instead of “sys- the Discovery Channel and more, and 106 tems,” I propose we look at things mod- radio stations in 54 Canadian cities. To- ularly, or as a big set of Lego building gether, Bell and Shaw alone account for blocks whose parts can be unbundled well over half the TV market. Add the and snapped together in many differ- CBC (19.6%), Rogers (10.2%) and Quebe- ent combinations. As Ryerson profes- cor (5.4%), and the “Big 5” TV ownership TELUS sor Catherine Middleton observes, as groups account for 90% of all revenues. the broadband Internet has evolved, it These conditions are not unique, has become easier to separate the access since media concentration around the network from the growing number of world tends to be high. Where Canada apps, content and services available over does stand out, though, is in its extreme- it. While it may have been desirable to ly high levels of vertical integration. In bundle content and carriage together at 2014, the top four vertically integrated one point, as with cable TV, those days (VI) companies (Bell, Rogers, Shaw, QMI) are numbered as people “cut the cord” held a 57% share of all telecom, Internet and turn to the Internet to get the con- and media revenues, which is twice what tent and services over broadband links it was a half decade earlier (see graph). from wherever they want. Adopting the This represents a significantly higher “Lego-land” view is especially important level of vertical integration than in the because of the vertical integration men- U.S., where the top four VI companies tioned above. The “Big 5” accounted for (AT&T/DirecTV, Comcast, Charter, includ- 63% of total revenue across the network ing Time Warner and Bright House, and media economy in 2000; fast-forward to Cox) combined account for 40% of mar- now and their share of the vastly bigger ket revenue. The degree of vertical in- pie has grown to nearly three-quarters tegration in Canada also topped the list

in the Canadian media economy, 2014 in the Canadian media economy, of total revenue. of 30 countries studied by the Interna- Vertical integration integration Vertical 28 tional Media Concentration Research unbundled services from CBS, Via- broadcast-centric view to a Project. com, HBO, the NLB and so on. Lego-land, telecoms-Internet- As for the idea that the fierce com- The CRTC provisionally blessed mobile-wireless-centric view of petition posed by the Internet goli- data caps in 2009, but since then they the world—skinny basic, untied aths offsets the market power of have gone from being used sparingly streaming TV services like Canada’s dominant players, Goog- to manage Internet congestion to be- shomi and CraveTV, and pick- le, Facebook and Netflix’s combined come a lucrative new stream of reve- and-pay TV are just the start. share of all media revenue in Cana- nue for Bell, Rogers, TELUS and Vide- The CRTC and the last government da was less than 4% in 2014. otron (Shaw advertises but does not made the high levels of concentra- So it’s not just conjecture to point apply data caps). Canadians loathe tion in mobile wireless, broadcast dis- out that concentration and vertical data caps and the expensive “over- tribution undertakings (DBUs) and integration levels are high in Cana- age charges” they entail. Data caps television a centrepiece of their pro- da. It is a conclusion of fact, based on send the totally wrong message that ceedings and policies, rediscovering the available data, and also reached somehow we are using “too much In- market power, and took some force- in several CRTC rulings last year. The ternet.” ful steps to do something about it. At consequences of this state of affairs While Shaw distinguished itself on a minimum, the new Trudeau gov- are significant. For example, mobile this point before a recent CRTC ex- ernment must do the same. Regula- wireless markets in Canada are un- amination of basic telecoms servic- tors have also rediscovered the cru- derdeveloped by comparable inter- es that all Canadians should be enti- cial Section 27 of the Telecommunica- national standards, prices per giga- tled to at affordable prices, it was dis- tions Act, which bans unjust discrim- byte (GB) on wireless and wireline couraging to hear Bell, TELUS, MTS, ination, applying it in three recent broadband networks are high and SaskTel, Eastlink, and the small tele- cases: the wholesale roaming inves- speeds are good for mobile wireless phone companies that still operate tigation (2014-398), the wholesale mo- networks (but modest for wireline across Canada, talk about the need bile wireless decision (2015-177) and relative to comparable internation- to scrimp on how much Internet peo- the mobile TV ruling (2015-26). al peers). Adoption levels are moder- ple use and the speeds that should The first case found that wholesale ate for the later, but very low for the be available. Thus, while Europe and mobile wireless roaming rates were former (mobile phones), with Canada the U.S. forge ahead with ambitious “clear instances of unjust discrimina- ranking 32nd out of 40 OECD and EU targets in this regard, the vision of tion and undue preference,” banished countries, alongside Mexico, Turkey incumbent telecoms operators and exclusivity provisions in wholesale and some Eastern European coun- ISPs in Canada is wholly uninspiring. roaming agreements, and opened a tries. The heavy reliance on relatively wider examination into wholesale People in Canada are voracious us- low data caps in Canada constrains mobile wireless services that fed di- ers of the Internet and all kinds of what and how people watch TV, lis- rectly into the second case. In that media, and have been this way for ten to music, communicate with one wholesale mobile wireless decision, some time. Still, they must careful- another over the Internet and mobile the CRTC reasserted its authority to ly measure what they watch (and devices, and work. As such communi- regulate wholesale mobile wireless in what definition), and what they cations become an ever-more impor- facilities and rates, set temporary do with these vital tools of modern tant part of human experience, and a caps on rates, and set out follow-up life, because of the high cost of a GB critical infrastructure for society and steps that will lead to new rules for and the prevalence of relatively low the economy writ large, this is a huge how these rates are determined. Fi- data caps on wireless and wireline problem. nally, the mobile TV decision did four networks. things: Restrictive data caps reflect the Return of the state and high levels of vertical integration in zombie free markets ' Found that Bell and Videotron Canada and serve to protect the ver- were giving themselves “an undue tically integrated giants’ broadcast nstead of standing idly by, regula- and unreasonable preference” by operations from streaming servic- tors, led by the CRTC, have taken “providing the data connectivity and es like Netflix. Just a few weeks ago, I steps that aim to change the lay of transport required for consumers to in contrast, the Federal Communica- the land in some fundamental ways. access the mobile TV services at sub- tions Commission (FCC) in the U.S. As I’ve writen elsewhere, the CRTC, stantially lower costs…relative to oth- approved the takeover of Time Warn- with some strong aiding and abet- er audiovisual content services”; er Cable and Bright House by Char- ting by the Competition Bureau, and Concluded that this was bad for ter, but on condition that it not use backstopped by policy wonks at the ' competition, the development and data caps for the next seven years in federal government, are: growth of new OTT services, and for order to remove barriers to the fur- Unbundling the Network: consumer-citizens; ther development of OTT video ser- Partially. Hesitantly…. Slowly vices like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Drew a sharp line between trans- turning from a systems and ' mission (common carriage) and 29 broadcasting (content), thereby puts the best bits of the telecoms act line between carriage and content is forcing Bell, Quebecor and Rogers to at war with itself and risks subordi- also great. However, much more can bring their mobile TV offerings into nating telecoms (broadband Inter- be done. compliance with some of the com- net) to broadcasting. This is precise- Like what, you ask? Here are five mon carrier principles flowing from ly what the allied forces behind ze- modest suggestions. Section 27 of the Telecommunica- ro-rating Cancon think should hap- 1. Eliminate Section 28 of the Tel- tions Act; and pen. We need to drive a stake through ecommunications Act, which states: the heart of such ideas. “The Commission shall have regard Acted on a meticulously researched ' The waffling at the CRTC relat- to the broadcasting policy for Can- complaint by Ben Klass, a citizen and ed to these two sections runs coun- ada set out in subsection 3(1) of the PhD student at the School of Jour- ter to the common carriage princi- Broadcasting Act in determining nalism and Communication at Car- ples upon which the open Internet whether any discrimination is unjust leton University. and mobile phones are built—princi- or any preference or disadvantage is That the previous federal govern- ples found in Section 36 of the Tele- undue or unreasonable in relation to ment’s actions, and ongoing regu- communications Act that come to us any transmission of programs.” latory interventions in the market, from the days of Roman roads, Vene- 2. Eliminate Section 4 in the Broad- are substantial in Canada is beyond tian canals, the Taxis family courier casting and Telecommunications doubt. But they are also not unique. service in medieval Europe and com- acts so that both pieces of legislation We have seen the “return of the state” mon law traditions on both sides of can talk to one another. We don’t need in many countries. In the real world, the Atlantic. The act states, “Except new legislation, and any atempt to the effective operation of “real mar- where the Commission approves oth- create it will only ensure intermina- kets” depends on the rule of law and erwise, a Canadian carrier shall not ble delay and special (corporate) in- the firm hand of independent regula- control the content or influence the terest pleading. Concepts such as the tors, back-stopped by, yet independ- meaning or purpose of telecommu- “digital eco-system” should be reject- ent from, politicians, policy-makers nications carried by it for the public.” ed out of hand as self-interested fab- and the ministers who want to see While one might argue that Sec- rications—of limited use as high-lev- good things happen. tion 36 is the crown jewel of the act, el metaphors, maybe, but not as a The recent direction of events regulatory hesitancy seems greatest guide to analyzing media markets, or runs counter to the vertically inte- on this point. This is evident in its al- a model for how to think about need- grated firms’ “walled garden” or “in- most complete lack of use during a ed policy, law and regulatory reforms. formation control” models of op- time when those who own the “pipes” 3. Breathe new and vigorous life eration. Having banked on such a are inextricably intertwined with the into Section 36 of the Telecommu- model (and with the banks, espe- ownership and control of messages. It nications Act by firmly separating cially RBC, holding significant own- is also evident in the exception carved control over infrastructure from in- ership stakes in most of the key play- out for overriding this principle if it fluence over the messages/content ers), they are pushing back forceful- meets some ill-defined objectives of flowing through the “pipes.” In oth- ly against efforts to change it. You the Broadcasting Act. It is time to er words, sharpen and harden the can see it in Bell’s recurring editori- wheel Section 36 out of storage and line between carriage and content. al interventions in the country’s big- make it the central principal around Any proposals to put a levy on ISPs gest TV and radio news media out- which the entire Internet and mobile and mobile phones to fund Cancon lets; the legal appeals to recent CRTC wireless–centric universe revolves. should be given a stillbirth. While the rulings (e.g., mobile TV, wireless code, entrenched clients of the broadcast- and Superbowl sim sub); a petition to Five moderate suggestions, ing system never miss a beat to pro- cabinet to overturn the CRTC’s for- one big idea and one radical mote “the ISP tax,” their ideas are out ward-looking ruling on wholesale ac- reform of sync with the tastes of the people. cess to fibre-to-the-doorstep (recent- They are anti-Internet and prolong a ly rejected in a crucial test of the Lib- he CRTC decisions that kick new “systems” view of the world that con- eral government’s thinking on these life into Section 27 of the Tele- ceals a murky labyrinth of cultural maters); the threats of capital invest- T communications Act are to be policy funds flowing from one pock- ment strikes; and a bevy of other ef- applauded. The same goes for the et to another, ofen between divisions forts that aim to turn back the tide. willingness to constrain the power within the vertically integrated com- But while the CRTC has rediscov- of vertically integrated companies panies. ered the no-undue-preference clause by loosening their grip on the basic 4. Impose vertical separation of the Telecommunications Act (Sec- building blocks of the network media along functional lines between tion 27), that section is unfortunately ecology, including spectrum, whole- carriage and content, and between immediately followed by Section 28, sale wireless and fibre-to-the-door- wholesale access to passive network which says that exceptions to the rule step access points and roaming rates, infrastructure and network opera- are permited when they advance the data transport and content. Move- tors and retail telecoms service pro- goals of the Broadcasting Act. This ment toward strictly drawing the viders. 30 t

5. Transfer authority over spectrum think of what you could do with such a from Industry Canada to the CRTC, take new Crown corporation: Time to Tax advantage of the CRTC’s expertise in com- Operate as the fourth national mobile munications regulation and reject propos- ' Netflix? wireless carrier; als to transfer jurisdiction to the Compe- tition Bureau and all-purpose competi- Blanket cities with open access, light- ' Netfix, Google (YouTube), and tion policy. (The CRTC and Competition ing up the vast stock of underused and other mostly foreign-owned Bureau should nonetheless continue to unused municipal dark fibre; over-the-top service providers work closely together.) Extend public Wi-Fi in cities across Can- are not required to collect and And here’s a bigger idea: we should elim- ' ada, and broadband access to underused remit value-added taxes and inate the category of broadcast distribu- and unserved people in rural, remote and do not pay income taxes in tion undertakings (BDUs) upon which the poor urban areas; Canada if they have no physical cable, satellite and IPTV industry rests. It’s presence in the country. This all telecom-Internet access and carriage Create, disseminate and make public art ' creates an uneven playing feld now. The equivalent amount of funds cur- and culture as accessible and enjoyable as with Canadian competitors in rently funneled into the Canadian Media possible; and the OTT feld, while depriving Fund by the BDUs should be taken direct- Fund all these activities from the gener- the government of valuable tax ly out of the general treasury, and perhaps ' al treasury, not the opaque intra- and in- revenues—money that could topped up a bit. ter-industry funds that now exist. go toward supporting Canadian More generally, we need to bring sub- culture and media. A new study sidies for broadband connectivity into The original goal of the U.S. Post Office for the CCPA by John Anderson, line with funding for the CBC and Can- was to bring “general intelligence to every An Over-the-Top Exemption, con. Currently, the CBC receives $33 per man’s [sic] doorstep,” while serving as a suggests potential regulatory person per year, with nearly three-quar- heavily subsidized vehicle for delivering and taxation measures that ters of that amount again for arts and cul- newspapers to editors across the country would support Canadian cultural ture at large. Broadband subsidies, by con- free of charge. Canada took a more frugal policy, and the production and trast, are a comparative pitance at rough- view of things; correspondence at a dis- distribution of Canadian content. ly $2.25 per person per year. I doubt the tance and newspaper growth relative to After considering the growth of Canadian public would chafe at upping the U.S. suffered as a result. Taking these OTTs like Netfix over the past the broadband subsidy to somewhere be- lessons to heart, a CCC could be to the decade, the study looks at other tween what Sweden spends ($5 per per- broadband Internet and mobile wireless– countries that have recently son per year) and what the CBC receives. centric world of the 21st century what the begun taxing the broadcasting Any bid to pare back the CBC and oth- U.S. Post Office was to the world of leters activities of these companies as er arts and culture funding should be dis- and print. they would any other broadcaster, missed outright. People have never paid The CCC could repurpose some of the and where measures have been the full costs of news and culture, and this CBC’s existing spectrum holdings and taken to apply national cultural is why throughout modern history it has broadcast towers for mobile wireless ser- policies to the new foreign-owned been sustained by subsidies from adver- vice coast-to-coast-to-coast. Real estate media players. It then considers tising, governments and wealthy patrons. could be combined and used to locate tow- how Canada’s unwillingness to We need to consider subsidizing independ- ers; local post offices used to sign up new regulate new media companies ent journalism in ways that do not just put mobile phone subscribers and sell devices. has resulted in a situation public money directly into the pockets of Postal workers are giving some thought where the biggest OTTs do not the existing newspaper groups that have to renewing the post office, but have not contribute in any signifcant way driven the press into the ground through ventured into this territory—yet. Infor- to Canadian content or observe endless consolidation, inflated asset val- mal discussions with some Canada Post any Cancon quotas. Combined ues and unsustainable debts. How this can senior executives suggest they’ve heard with the concentration of media be done effectively is hard to say. For start- similar ideas before—and are not inher- industries, the decreased funding ers, though, we can take some cues from a ently hostile to them. over the last three decades for recent study by the Reuters Institute and With three official government pro- the public networks of CBC and Oxford and Yale universities, which finds ceedings underway to explore different Radio-Canada, and the relatively Canada could be doing much more with aspects of Canada’s media environment, low level of funding for Canadian tax law to mobilize philanthropic support could we broaden the terrain to include a media production, Anderson for the press as in other countries. fourth? Or perhaps roll them all into one argues the increase of the big, countrywide conversation on the fu- unregulated new media is another s for my radical proposal, consider ture of communication in the 21st centu- blow to Canadian culture. this: why not merge Canada Post ry? Is it time we finally discussed #Radi- A with the CBC to create the Canadian calMediaPolicy4Canada? M (Monitor staf) Communication Corporation (CCC)? Just

31 Media Fenwick McKelvey The new attention factory Discoverability and Canadian cultural policy

E CAN all relate to Charlie Chaplin in his classic film Mod- ern Times. As the Lit- tle Tramp falls be- hind on the produc- Wtion line, the conveyor belt pulls him into the factory’s cogs. We might laugh as he winds through the gears, but we too are working in a factory of sorts. It is a vast factory assem- bling our atention and its output af- fects how we produce and consume culture. Canadian media regulators have begun using the term discoverabili- ty to describe these new conditions of cultural production, distribution and reception. A recent Discovera- bility Summit in Toronto, co-host- ed by the National Film Board (NFB) and the CRTC, devoted two days of derstand this new factory, these le- editors are a new kind of elite in the panels to the topic. The CRTC intro- vers and who pulls them demand discoverability factory. Their craf dif- duced discoverability as a defining more analysis. fers by platform. Reply Girls game feature of an Internet-enabled “world Algorithms, suggested the CMF re- YouTube’s thumbnail system. Search of choice” where “content is available port, are an important lever. These Engine Optimization specialists (for everywhere, on so many platforms.” computational functions use data to a fee) will boost your website’s rank- Eighty-two per cent of Canadians rank, sort and rate content or decide ing on Google. It is not exactly clear watch or download TV and movies what’s trending. Algorithms might how they’re operating the machine, online using services like Netflix, it- use data from other customers to rec- but their success demonstrates the self a powerful part of the factory ommend a new show. Or they might inequities of online atention. built to manage our atention and use metadata to suggest other titles All this talk of algorithms and so- influence our cultural consumption. in one of Netflix’s micro-genres, such cial media celebrities might obscure How does Netflix influence what as Independent Drama Featuring a the most important piece of the ma- content we watch? Depending on the Strong Female Lead. chine: the content discovery plat- device, about 50% of the screen will We constantly interact with al- forms themselves. In the atention be dedicated to advertising a specific gorithms to discover content, ofen factory, platforms remain a black box show or movie (usually one of Netf- without being aware of the long-term whose workings we don’t really un- lix’s own productions). Below Netf- effects of our feedback. This process derstand. Facebook for years claimed lix’s promoted content you’ll likely has led to concerns about an over- its trending news section was algo- find a few strips containing recom- ly personalized Internet as we unin- rithmically curated until Gizmodo mendations under the headings New tentionally train algorithms to offer a and the Guardian U.K. discovered to Netflix, Saved to Your List, Trend- limited set of recommendations. that a team of journalists frequently ing or Recommended for You. The Ca- While most of us pull levers uncon- injected stories into the list of trends nadian Media Fund (CMF) calls these sciously, clearly some people know (see article in this section by Davis the levers of discoverability in a re- the right ones to pull. Micro-celebri- Carr). We shouldn’t be shocked that cent study. As regulators seek to un- ties, clickbait bards and viral video Continued on page 34 32 Facebook: friend or foe? DAVIS CARR

T WAS hard to escape news this tion did not include a feature to track reach their audience. Facebook in par- spring of Facebook’s “trending” fea- menstrual cycles, for example. ticular, with its 1.5 billion active users, ture. First we learned there were hu- Algorithms prioritize some content has enormous power. Publishers must man curators behind what the social over others, with high stakes. Face- work with the social media giant in or- media company claimed to be an au- book’s algorithm favours video and der for their content to be seen. tomated algorithm, then that these photos over links and status updates— Facebook Live is the latest example Iemployees may be censoring conserv- another preference built into the sys- of the control the company excerpts ative voices from users’ feeds. Face- tem by humans. In response, and as on news and cultural consumption. book denied the allegations, which a sign of Facebook’s tremendous im- Facebook is paying publishers and ce- were first reported by Gizmodo. But pact, content creators and marketers lebrities to use the new service, which shortly afer, the Guardian U.K. pub- have adapted to the algorithm, invest- livestreams events to the Facebook lished leaked documents detailing app on mobile phones. “In practical Facebook’s policy for both injecting terms,” explained an article in recode, and blacklisting stories. “that means Facebook’s News Feed Facebook worked hard to cultivate algorithm prioritizes live video while the belief it was delivering impartial, the broadcast is ongoing, meaning it mathematically and algorithmically de- will appear higher in people’s feeds. It’s termined news to users. The official de- also doing things like sending out push scription of its “trending” feature does notifications when videos are live, and not mention a human element: “Trend- alerting people when they’ve missed a ing shows you topics that have recent- live video.” ly become popular on Facebook. The With digital and social platforms in- topics you see are based on a number creasing the size of their audience, tra- of factors including engagement, time- ditional media is struggling to adapt. liness, pages you’ve liked and your lo- As examined elsewhere in this issue cation.” This results in what Upwor- of the Monitor, dissemination of news thy co-founder Eli Pariser calls a “filter and journalism has been heavily im- bubble,” a situation where the content pacted by the change of distribution a user is exposed to reinforces their models, and these changes will only pre-existing beliefs and limits exposure increase as time goes on. to new and different ideas. ing in more video content and graphic It’s important to remember that The backlash against Facebook for designers, altering how we experience Facebook is not a content creator—it is using people—with all their fallibility the Internet in the process. a platform. While independent publish- and personal bias—to filter the news A 2015 study by analytics firm ers are able to use the platform to reach reveals an important characteristic of parse.ly showed that more than 40% their audience, mainstream media out- the contemporary age: algorithms are of web traffic to news sites came from fits still dominate the field and large- considered more trustworthy than hu- Facebook, beating Google by an inch ly determine what is considered news- man beings. This perspective misses and Twiter by a mile for redirects. worthy. Facebook is not in the business or ignores the reality that bias exists Facebook therefore acts as a gate- of creating the news—just sharing it. within the math itself. Code is writen keeper to content and is profiting from Facebook’s domination of media by people, and people carry explicit that role. Only a small fraction of a us- creates the risk of the continued ho- and implicit biases. These biases man- er’s followers will see a given post or- mogenization of information with a ifest in a myriad of ways, sometimes ganically, so Facebook charges users very corporate bias. It is a private cor- subtly, sometimes blatantly. to reach a bigger or targeted audience. poration with no obligation to anyone Last year, research from Carnegie This model has huge implications but its shareholders. As users of the Mellon University and the Internation- for news organizations. One Morgan platform, we must remain skeptical of al Computer Science Institute found Stanley analyst told the New York any product that has so much power that Google’s ad-targeting algorithms Times, “In the first quarter of 2016, 85 and so litle oversight. And as our lives would display higher-paying jobs to cents of every new dollar spent in on- increasingly go digital, we must be crit- men visiting employment websites line advertising will go to Google or ical of the unconscious, unseen and than to women. Bias might also show Facebook.” Content creators, pub- subtle biases that exist around us, up in a lack of atention to detail. Ear- lishers, businesses and organizations especially in those mechanisms and ly versions of Apple’s health applica- must use these platforms in order to tools that claim to be impartial. M 33 humans are involved, but we should line media providers offering a new Taking up the issue of discoverabil- debate the accountability of these channel for American cultural dom- ity could encourage new voices, but platforms. inance connects with growing wor- emerging online platforms might not The front page of platforms—or ries about the unchecked econom- offer the best venue for them. Toxic what at the summit was called the ic power of Google, Apple, Facebook cultures like GamerGate and the Red First Impression Unit—remains a and Amazon (or GAFA). The EU has Pill movement have been effective major lever of online atention. By investigated the monopoly power of in silencing and pressuring feminist managing these first impressions, Google, implemented a “right to be voices. Wikipedia has recognized it platforms have an important influ- forgoten” so people can opt-out of has a problem with a lack of diversi- ence on discoverability, not unlike a the platform’s data collection and ty among its editors, which negative- broadcaster’s power to decide what questioned the privacy of social me- ly influences its content. Could Cana- content appears in prime time. Netf- dia data flows. dian cultural institutions play a pos- lix, for example, uses its front page A broader first step would be to itive role in user-generated discov- predominately to promote its own open up the machine to public over- ery in the same way that feminists content. Platforms can also sell their sight. The Discoverability Summit have led edit-a-thons to promote un- influence. Your next smart TV might was an important opportunity for derrepresented histories and peoples feature ads on your home screen as the CRTC to publicize these issues. on Wikipedia? No one can discover device manufacturers find ways to Accountability is a mater of public content if it is not there. exploit this new revenue stream. concern as seen in the debate over Simultaneously, the conditions of That might be the only way inde- Facebook’s trending news, though cultural production on these plat- pendent or other studios can com- the scandal seems to have ratled forms can be economically exploita- pete with Netflix for atention. the machine less in Canada than tive, or what’s been called platform These levers play an important in the U.S. Does the same team of capitalism. These necessary new voic- role in the new atention factory young journalists also manage Cana- es might toil away for free in what Ta- and they require continued regu- dian trends? The manual leaked by mara Sheppard calls apprenticeship latory oversight. The good news is the Guardian suggests so with refer- labour. Could a new generation of that Canadian media regulators like ence to an ability to change the scope public service media be a big piece the CRTC have a legacy that makes of the trending data and a reference of a beter atention factory? Could them well-suited to address discov- to the Toronto Football Club. Could a beter platform be created for Cana- erability as a major issue for broad- there be a review of Facebook and dian content producers? Could Can- casting. While the atention factory other platforms’ mechanisms that ada develop a platform that ensures might seem newfangled, old ques- decide what’s trending in Canada? artists receive a greater share of ad- tions of media globalization, cultur- Canadian cultural institutions vertising revenue and offers more al policy and democratic oversight re- should continue to have an active accountable management of con- main relevant. role in promoting and supporting Ca- tent recommendation? Perhaps the Like Chaplin squeezed between nadian content in this atention fac- CBC in its redesign of its shutered two big gears, Canada is in a tough tory. Many state-sponsored cultur- comments might create a more sup- spot, facing significant domestic al institutions developed out of le- portive community for cultural pro- and global media concentration. If gitimate concerns that the econom- duction? A Canadian Reddit? May- more digital concentration contin- ic might of the United States would be an alternative platform might be ues, the machine might be controlled hinder homegrown cultural indus- too much domestically, but perhaps by Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon tries. The CBC started in response in collaboration with other interna- and Netflix alone, puting a squeeze to concerns about American cultur- tional institutions? on local governance. Google and al annexation. Could public service Discoverability has reassembled Netflix have publicly flaunted the media play a meaningful part in this the atention factory but not nec- CRTC’s authority, thereby undermin- new atention factory? essarily democratized it or made it ing Canadian democratic oversight. We would do well to avoid nostal- more equitable. The worst case sce- It could be Canada seeks to harmo- gia for traditional Canadian content nario would be a world where discov- nize oversight of the factory so its in thinking of the new role for pub- erability is both profoundly confus- global pieces are subject to the same lic service media. Diversity remains ing and totally lacking in account- oversight as local ones. a real issue for the Canadian cultur- ability or oversight. That’s why the Another approach to discovera- al industries overall, as seen in the Discoverability Summit was a criti- bility in Canada would be to explore lack of coverage for the #BlackLives- cal start. In looking ahead, the point the viability of platform-focused reg- Mater movement in Toronto, as well to keep in mind, to remember my ulations developed in Europe. The as concerns about race and gender late colleague Martin Allor, is that EU has called for Netflix and Am- representation in newsrooms and “our task is to change the world, not azon to ensure that at least 20% of television production. These issues merely to describe it.” M their video libraries consist of Euro- abound online. pean content. Their concern over on- 34 Media Nora Loreto Rise of the freelancer

N THE so-called sharing econo- have remained profitable, they have There is an increase in union ef- my, new technological platforms exploited the labour of journalists by forts at other non-traditional news are exploiting regulatory gaps un- making them work for less than the organizations, like Huffington Post der the banner of progress. Corpo- standard market value that is gener- U.S. and Gawker. Journalists at Vice rate heads are taking advantage of ated from their labour,” he says. Canada have filed for representation this and good jobs are disappear- Many newspapers have out- with the Canadian Media Guild (see Iing. We’ve seen a version of this ex- sourced layout and copy editing to the article in this section by Jeremy periment in the recent past. Before Pagemasters, a corporation of The Appel). Journalists who are locked Uber, there were unpaid internships, Canadian Press that is, in part, owned out/on strike at the Halifax Chronicle layoffs and downsizing, and start-up by several major Canadian news out- Herald have launched Local Xpress, a agencies vying for a piece of the tra- lets. Writing for the Canadian Media news website that could very likely ditional journalism pie. Together, Guild, Jan Wong spells it out: “the top live past the labour dispute (see An- they transformed the industry in a union rate for an editor [at Pagemas- drew Biro in this section). process that continues today. ters] is $48,000, compared to about There is also my union, the Cana- In 2013, the Canadian Media Guild $85,000 at the [Toronto] Star.” dian Freelance Union, a community estimated that in the five years pre- Is there a private sector solution to chapter of Unifor. While we have no vious, 10,000 journalism jobs evap- this race to the botom? The corpo- legal recourse to protect our mem- orated. Since then, more jobs have rate model of journalism has always bers, we offer some basics such as vanished and some newspapers have been fraught. As Robert McChesney opt-in insurance programs, a press even ceased printing. Some of those argues, a free press owned by pow- card and various other kinds of sup- jobs were replaced by freelancers or erful and rich corporate interests is port. In the past three months, we’ve interns. Some are gone for good. The hardly free. The corporate ownership compelled two contractors to pay up. gaps have been filled by independent model is more at fault for the state of In both cases the member wasn’t able journalists, bloggers and new media things in journalism than is the emer- to get a reply before the union got in- start-ups. gence of new technologies. volved. For an industry that’s been hit hard But looking to government to Perhaps most importantly, though, by an advertising revenue slump, fix journalism is a different kind of we monitor freelancer life—from it’s easy to see why media owners bad. While governments should be changes in government policy to and even journalists themselves pressed to enforce workplace stand- gathering research about average have been so quick to jump on what ards within media industries, govern- wages to advocating for freelancers has since been termed “the shar- ment intervention into corporate me- and advertising union freelancers. ing economy” model. Crowdfund- dia isn’t likely to fix the most funda- We can loop our advocacy into the ing and crowdsourcing have broad- mental issues, or be popular with an- broader campaigning work of Uni- ened who can do what under the ban- ybody. Ultimately, saving journalism for’s Media Council, a division that ner of journalism. When a cell phone is a fight that journalists themselves represents 12,000 communications can take high-quality photos and re- must take on. workers in Canada. The CFU isn’t cord interviews, anyone with a de- Most journalists at mainstream alone; the Canadian Media Guild sire to broadcast has the capacity to outlets are unionized and there is a has a robust freelance wing as well. do so cheaply. According to a study long tradition of unionization in Ca- Thanks to the size of the member- from the American Freelancers Un- nadian newsrooms. Unions provide ship at the CBC, the guild has man- ion and Upwork, nearly one out of a formal mechanism for journal- aged to secure some freelancer pro- every three Americans did freelance ists to work together, though they tections in collective agreements. work of some kind in 2014. have sometimes reinforced inequal- Halifax-based CFU members is- While the technology can be liber- ity. “Labour unions have enshrined sued statements compelling free- ating it is not without costs to me- exploitative and underpaid intern- lancers to not scab for the Chronicle dia workers. Average wage increas- ships by writing them into collec- Herald, messaging that was broadly es in journalism have lagged behind tive agreements,” writes Salamon. seen as supportive of striking work- overall wage increases, says Errol “Nevertheless, various union locals ers but also freelancers who are most Salamon, a co-editor and contributor have fought to establish paid intern- hurt by the race to the botom. It was to the 2016 book, Journalism in Cri- ship programs and collective agree- an example of the power and impor- sis: Bridging Theory and Practice for ments that have also guaranteed in- tance of bridging the divide between Democratic Media Strategies in Can- terns entry-level salaries.” the old and new worlds of journal- ada. “While journalism organizations ism. M 35 Media Andrew Biro Responsible journalism, democracy and the newspaper crisis The Chronicle-Herald strike in political context

EWSROOM workers at the to see the school represented so inac- advertorial content. What are we to Halifax Chronicle-Herald curately.” Tim Bousquet at the online make of this? (hereafer CH) have been daily Halifax Examiner took it apart At one level, this points to the is- on strike since January 23. in a post that focused on factual inac- sue of expertise and authority with- In print since 1874 as the curacies and the failure to adhere to in this particular workplace, as men- Morning Herald (Chroni- professional and ethical standards. tioned above. Talking to HTU mem- Ncle-Herald since 1949), the CH is the Bousquet listed a failure to verify bers on the picket line, it was clear largest-circulation daily newspaper claims, lack of balance, lack of con- one of the things that aggrieved in Atlantic Canada and the largest text for granting interviewees ano- them most were the bad journalis- “independent” (not owned by a media nymity, and unethical treatment of tic decisions being made by replace- conglomerate) paper in Canada. It is the children who were at the center ment workers, and by managers in- the newspaper of record in Nova Sco- of the story. terested in things other than jour- tia. The strike has shown how labour As both Bousquet’s post and the nalistic integrity and quality. At the disputes are ofen as much about HTU statement make clear, these same time, even with the skilled pro- struggles over whose expertise with- failures have to be put in the con- fessionals on the picket line, the pa- in, and authority over, the work pro- text of the CH labour dispute. The per is still being published. cess is recognized, as they are about HTU statement puts it plainly: “Both Because the CH is privately owned, pocketbook issues like wages and [the story writer and editor] were we don’t know the overall financial pensions. And it shows the impor- hired and assigned according to the impact of the strike on the compa- tance of responsible journalism for skills and abilities that management ny’s botom line. Striking workers a functional mass democracy. deems appropriate for the job.” This aren’t geting paid, but to what ex- One incident in particular high- gets to the heart of the point about tent these savings offset declines in lights these issues. In the April 9 expertise and authority. Unions, by circulation and advertising revenue (weekend) edition, the CH put out definition, are comprised of people can’t be ascertained from the outside. a particularly inflammatory sto- who have a kind of work in com- Meanwhile, the CH is faced with the ry that claimed Syrian refugee chil- mon. What they share is not just an same pressures affecting the news- dren at a Halifax elementary school interest in geting paid decently by paper business globally with the in- were “choking, pushing, slapping and a common employer, but also inside formation technology revolutions verbally abusing their fellow class- knowledge about how the work pro- of the last decade or more, particu- mates,” and that school staff ap- cess actually functions. Unions claim larly the rise of social media. These peared to be doing litle, if anything, a particular kind of knowledge or ex- pressures include fewer people will- about it. Over the weekend, the CH pertise and, through collective bar- ing to pay to access newspaper infor- first (without explanation) edited the gaining over working conditions, mation online, and web-based com- story, taking out some of the details, try to gain some authority over how petition slashing revenue from both and then deleted the story entirely their members’ work is done. classified and commercial advertis- from their website with a terse apol- If it wasn’t clear before the school ing. To be sure, running a profitable ogy. The story presumably remains in story it is now: the professional judg- newspaper is an increasingly difficult its original form in the paper edition. ment of reporters and editors—the proposition. The Halifax Typographical Union authorization of their expertise— The result of this cost pressure (HTU), which represents striking is essential to producing a reliable, has been a dramatic industry shake- CH workers, issued a strongly criti- high-quality newspaper. But well af- out. In Canada, only a handful of cit- cal public statement about the sto- ter this story was published, HTU ies have more than one daily news- ry. The superintendent of the Halifax members are still on strike, CH own- paper, and an increasing number of Regional School Board also took the ers are still insisting over 1,000 con- mid-sized cities don’t have any. Cana- unusual step of issuing a public state- tract changes are non-negotiable de- dian newspaper ownership is high- ment, addressed to all school board mands, and the CH continues to pub- ly concentrated: most major Eng- staff, saying he “was deeply offended lish by relying on scab labour and lish-language dailies are owned by 36 Postmedia or Torstar. As noted, the CH is an exception, but this means it lacks the deep pockets or opportuni- ties for cross-subsidies that might be available to the bigger firms; the fi- nancial pressures of the newspaper business bite more sharply. The situa- tion at the CH thus represents, in par- ticularly stark form, the tensions be- tween running a newspaper business and producing a quality newspaper. These tensions also relate to the role that journalism plays in a mass democracy. If we want “government by the people” to be effective, then the people should be reasonably well informed about how the system (so- ciety) operates. That a functional mass democracy requires a free press is obvious. If reporters are censored or otherwise constrained, or unduly “Nova Scotians” to be constituted as Sports Reporter Monty Mosher walks the picket influenced by state officials, then the a distinctive community and identi- line outside the Chronicle-Herald building. people (their audience) will not have ty. Part of how we know who “we” are PHOTO BY MEL HATTIE a clear sense of what is really happen- is by having a common set of stories ing and are more likely to make bad by, about, and for ourselves. decisions based on that misinforma- Another recent atempt to shape It is true that turning a profit by tion. But a functional mass democ- a distinctive provincial identity, the printing newspapers today seems racy also requires responsible jour- influential oneNS Commission Re- like trying to fit a square peg into an nalism. Reporting that is sensational- port (aka Ivany Report) proclaims in ever-shrinking round hole. If journal- ist, coloured by partisanship or other a bold subhead that “IMMIGRATION ism is a public trust, then the flip side axes to grind, or not fact-checked, can IS ESSENTIAL” for the future of the may be that we need a public com- similarly lead people to make bad de- province. The report frets about mitment to sustain journalism. In- cisions. The ways in which the school the number of Nova Scotians who deed, Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey story seems to have inflamed anti-im- “do not see immigration as the pre- (annual salary: nearly $2 million) re- migrant sentiment is a case in point. ferred route to population growth.” cently suggested to a parliamenta- Professional reporters understand Its default mode is to scold those ry commitee that government ad- that responsible journalism is ul- Nova Scotians who hold such bad at- vertising in newspapers needs to be timately a public trust. A desire to titudes. But atitudes are cultivat- substantially increased to maintain protect that public trust is intimate- ed. They flourish, or not, in particu- the viability of the medium. Others ly tied to the HTU’s commitment to lar cultural environments. Thus, one have argued more directly that gov- maintaining working conditions that ironic outcome of the unprofession- ernment subsidies are necessary for will allow them to do their jobs prop- al reporting the strike spawned is it privately owned newspaper compa- erly. And if this kind of journalism shows how business elites’ relentless nies to remain profitable. can’t be sustained at the CH, there are focus on improving the botom line But there are also alternatives serious implications for democracy can produce just the kind of atitude that would allow us to collective- and good governance in Nova Scotia. that the report laments. ly support journalism without fur- Despite an impressive array of In his post on the school story, ther enriching wealthy executives more critical/adversarial/alterna- Bousquet speculates, “The point of and shareholders in the process. In tive outlets, and with the possible publishing the article seems to have the ongoing disruption of the news- exception of the CBC, only the CH been to get content out, possibly con- paper industry we need to keep our has the depth of resources to pro- tent that generates wide discussion, eye on the ball. It is responsible, pro- vide a more or less authoritative ac- and never mind the ethical consider- fessional journalism—reporters who count of provincial happenings. Hav- ations.” Atracting eyeballs to adver- are insulated from the profit impera- ing such a newspaper of record pro- tisers, without regard to broader or tive and allowed to do their job with vides an accurate reflection of what longer-term consequences, may be a integrity—that is essential to our de- is happening in the province—essen- way to run a profitable content-pro- mocracy and needs to be sustained, tial for an informed citizenry, not to viding business. But it isn’t a way to not corporate profits. M mention future historians. It is an im- run a reputable newspaper. portant reference point that allows 37 Media Jeremy Appel Can unions help Vice stay virtuous?

T LEAST ostensibly, Vice Corp. Does this vast corporate spon- “I was in Austin visiting some has been an unmitigated sorship impact content? At a pan- friends and I noticed in the newspa- success story. What began el on the future of investigative tel- per that they were advertising for as the independent Voice evision at Ryerson University in To- ‘volunteer professional photogra- of Montreal magazine ronto, Vice Canada’s head of content, phers,’” he says. “That caught my in- has expanded into a mul- Patrick McGuire, flatly denied it does. terest because one of the first piec- Atinational media empire with doc- “We’ve never done a deal that would es I wrote for Vice that became a big umentaries, extensive web content, give Rogers a final cut,” he said. “They hit was about unpaid labour in the an award-winning HBO series and don’t even own the content.... They so-called liberal media.” now a 24-hour news network, Vice- don’t have anything to do with our Davis says that earlier article on land. More recently (and controver- editorial department. I’ve truthful- the exploitation of volunteer work- sially), the PMO gave Vice News ex- ly never had a story that’s been shut ers made him a sort of go-to-guy for clusive access to Prime Minister Jus- down or blocked.” McGuire did, how- unpaid labour issues, and the story tin Trudeau’s visit to Shoal Lake 40 ever, concede that corporate sponsor- about South by Southwest seemed an First Nation, shuting out the Abo- ship is a “tricky dance.” ideal fit. “It’s a for-profit conference riginal Peoples Television Network. Charles Davis, a former Vice free- that makes a lot of money, but it’s run Heritage Minister Melanie Joly lancer who currently lives in Quito, on the ground by volunteers, people praised Vice on CBC’s q, telling host Ecuador and writes for teleSUR, The who they sucker in by saying ‘don’t Shad that the struggling public Intercept, Al-Jazeera and other out- you want to be a part of this artsy, cul- broadcaster could learn from Vice’s lets, says the notion that Vice’s con- tural experience?’” he says. “They kind “risk taking” approach. Many view- tent is largely unaffected by corpo- of play on the idea that if you want ers first became familiar with Vice rate sponsorship is false. money for this, you’re being uncool.” through documentaries such as Can- “A broad range of prose style was al- But the story hit a snag at the nibal Warlords of Liberia and Ghosts lowable,” he says in praise of Vice’s ed- fact-checking stage, says Davis. “He of Aleppo, where the network sent re- itorial style. “I could write something (my editor) told me that the marketing porters into conflict zones to cover serious then not so serious. And you department was not cool with this,” stories and assume risks that tradi- can say things that you couldn’t nec- he recalls. “Vice was puting on a side- tional broadcasters weren’t taking. essarily say at other outlets, like ‘U.S. show at South by Southwest where Perhaps nowhere is the vitality of cops are killing people’ and ‘Israel is they were partnering with AT&T and Vice’s journalism more on display, in doing bad things.’” Kendrick Lamar was there. The same Canada at least, than the ongoing On a large number of topics, then, unpaid workers I was complaining standoff between Vice News reporter Vice contributors appear to have about were working at the Vice event.” Ben Makuch and the RCMP, who are more liberty in their reportage than Davis says Vice’s marketing de- demanding he hand over the tran- they would at CNN, for instance. partment put the kibosh on the scripts of his interview with a sus- Davis claims he hit the limits of the story out of fear of alienating ad- pected ISIS militant. Makuch has Vice model while pursuing a story on vertisers. “That was my first experi- stood his ground, risking jail time, the use of unpaid labour at the 2014 ence where it wasn’t an editorial de- based on basic journalistic ethics, and South By Southwest media confer- cision,” he says, “but a decision im- to their credit Vice News has stood ence in Austin, Texas. posed on the editor-in-chief by ad- behind him fully. Forcing a journal- vertisers.” For the record, Vice’s New ist to reveal their sources to law en- York office told Capital the story was forcement, they reason, sets a fright- killed for “editorial reasons that had ening precedent. nothing to do with AT&T.” But Davis At the same time, Vice is a lot like says he experienced similar censor- its competition—backed by large cor- Vice contributors ship three more times before being porate donors and advertising. Vice- appear to have shown the door. land was set up with a $100-million in- Another criticism of Vice is its ad- vestment from Rogers Media in Can- more liberty in their vertorial style, whereby certain con- ada, and in the United States Vice is reportage than they tent is sponsored by advertisers but partially owned by the likes of Time appears on the surface to be regu- Warner and Rupert Murdoch’s News would at CNN. lar editorial content. Company log- 38 os were blurred on T-shirts worn in a documentary about the KKK, and in 2014 Vice made a promotional vid- eo for the video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that featured an interview with an unsuspecting New York Times journalist, David Sanger, who was not told he would be appear- ing in an ad. While there is meant to be a fairly clear demarcation “be- tween the marketing and advertis- ing department and editorial,” Davis says, “at Vice, part of our 21st century hit media, that line isn’t just blurred but nonexistent.” Vice is by no means unique in this regard. With the drying up of adver- tising revenues, many publications and networks are looking at less con- about living an earning wage, about Screenshot from the Vice News documentary, ventional ways to atract advertisers, overtime, about control or input into The Other Side of Brazil’s World Cup. including sponsored content. Politico, questions regarding journalistic in- for instance, has come under criticism tegrity.” for its use of advertorial content in That’s precisely what the Writers’ its daily “Playbook” newsleter, while Guild of America–East (WGAE) ac- WGAE doesn’t represent workers on Britain’s prestigious Guardian news- complished with its successful drive Viceland or the HBO documentary paper regularly runs “supported” con- to unionize U.S. Vice employees short- series, so policies could be quite dif- tent funded by private entities. The ly afer its unionization of Gawker. In ferent on that side. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation addition to achieving a 29% raise for Davis emphasizes that not all Vice funds the Guardian’s global develop- the 80 Vice employees they represent, content is affected by its advertorial ment section, for example. WGAE has addressed many workers’ model. “Vice News is insulated from This blurring of the line between misgivings with advertorial content. some of the stuff I had to deal with,” advertising and news is one reason “We’ve inspired the company to he says. “That partly has to do with why the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) issue an editorial policy statement the fact that it’s a prestige project. is in the process of trying to establish that creates a wall between the It’s real journalism and so they don’t a union for Canadian Vice employees. business side and the editorial side,” want to have the meddling there that “We aren’t writing ads, we’re re- says WGAE President Lowell Peter- may compromise that perception. It porting on current events and peo- son. Thanks to the WGAE’s interven- also doesn’t get as much traffic as ple expect a certain non-biased view- tion employees cannot be compelled vice.com, which is their big advertis- point,” says Carmel Smyth, president to work on advertorial (or “branded” ing platform.” of the CMG. “Sometimes things seem in the contract’s wording) content if Vice continues to prove its place in to cross that line and having a union they don’t desire to. the world of so-called serious journal- gives workers a collective voice to ne- “These were specific gains that ism through its willingness to chal- gotiate with a company and to have people on the bargaining commitee lenge powerful interests and stand some kind of journalistic standards felt were important,” Peterson says. up for journalistic integrity, as the in place...where it’s clear what’s jour- “Maybe partly because of its reputa- Makuch affair demonstrates. On the nalism and what’s advertising.” tion, but also because people feel that other hand, its reputation is great- Smyth says the CMG’s unioniza- for the long-term health of Vice, it’s ly diminished when stories are can- tion efforts are part of a broader important to reassure readers that celled or altered to impress advertis- trend in the global digital media at- this content is meaningful. Every dig- ers and promote branded content. mosphere. ital outlet draws the line differently, Requests for comment on this arti- “We’re seeing that these online but our sense is that Vice is drawing cle from Vice’s director of communi- communications organizations are the line more carefully now. cations, Jake Goldman, went unan- profitable,” she says. “Initially, when “There are certainly a lot of dig- swered. Goldman told the Washing- it wasn’t clear that these companies ital companies that are less trans- ton Post in March that criticism of were going to be around for a long parent about the monetization side Vice’s alleged coziness with advertis- time, people were working for low- than Vice,” says Peterson, adding ers is based on “old or inaccurate (in- er wages and happy to do that. Now there was no significant pushback formation with) absolutely no bearing that that isn’t the case, they want to from Vice management on unioni- on how we operate today.” He declined have discussions about fairness— zation or the guild’s demands. The the Post’s request to elaborate. M 39 Media

Robert Hackett Media reform and climate action ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA FORTNER Why the two causes need each other and deserve public policy support

OR ACTIVE citizens con- These conclusions are reinforced politics was cynicism. While cerned about the climate by a study for the CCPA’s Climate Jus- there was a strong desire crisis, democratic media re- tice Project in which I was a co-inves- for more aggressive political form may not seem like a tigator. An initial report of our find- action to address climate priority. Likewise, media re- ings is available on the CCPA website change, virtually all expressed formers might not think of as News Media and Climate Politics: considerable skepticism that Fclimate activists as their most ob- Civic Engagement and Political Effi- governments, corporations vious allies. In fact both campaigns cacy in a Climate of Reluctant Cyn- or their fellow citizens could would be strengthened by working icism (September 2015). Members be convinced of the need together. Because research shows of the research team, which includ- to address the problem. that how climate change is reported ed Kathleen Cross, Shane Gunster, Even more troubling was the determines how the public responds Marcelina Piotrowski and Shan- tendency of many participants to calls for change. To the extent that non Daub, conducted focus groups to dismiss collective action change will require challenging pow- with randomly selected individuals and political engagement as erful entrenched interests, for exam- who claim to be worried about hu- irrelevant. ple by keeping some of Canada’s car- man-caused climate change but are These findings are similar to recent bon-intensive fuels in the ground, it not yet politically engaged. As ex- U.S. research by Anthony Leiserow- will be even harder to achieve if con- pressed in the report’s introduction: itz and his colleagues at the Yale Cen- trol of the agenda-seting media re- The overwhelming initial tre for Climate Change Communica- mains tied to commercial impera- response of our participants tion and George Mason University. tives and concentrated in fewer and to news about climate Their 2014 study suggested that pub- fewer hands. 40 lic opinion in the U.S. is divided into news to be compartmentalized, epi- nary people do. Descriptive stories “Six Americas.” A substantial number sodic and fragmented, failing to con- of neighbours doing climate politics (43%) fall into the two groups of peo- nect the dots between, for example, provide an easier point of entry to po- ple who say they are “alarmed” and Canada’s breakneck exploitation of litical engagement than prescriptive “concerned” about climate change, fossil fuels and global warming. Me- injunctions that induce guilt or cyn- and yet they are less vocal—in the dia rely on too narrow a range of in- icism. And news could provide more news and in public engagement— stitutionally located sources. Envi- concrete “procedural knowledge” than the much smaller group (27%) of ronmental conflicts are presented in about how to take political action. Americans who are “doubtful” or “dis- disempowering ways, as a two-sided Interviews with experienced en- missive.” The political engagement tug of war between competing elites vironmental advocates and journal- of climate-concerned citizens could in which average citizens are side- ists in Vancouver add further nu- make all the difference. So what’s the lined as spectators. ances. Conflict can be presented in blockage? News focuses on disasters rath- ways that evoke outrage and mobi- In part, coverage of climate change er than positive change agents and lization rather than paralysis and may be helping to breed apathy, cyni- creative solutions. When solutions cynicism, for example by using the cism and pessimism. Our focus group are addressed it’s more about tech- classic movement-building tactics of participants did not react well to nology and voluntaristic green con- identifying grievances, enemies, al- most mainstream news on this is- sumerism than collective approach- lies and solutions. U.S. environmen- sue, which in Canada typically fo- es and policy options. There’s litle at- talist Bill McKibben has used this cussed on the failures of convention- tention to who bears responsibility strategy effectively, identifying the al climate politics. (A Rutgers study for climate change, and critical anal- fossil fuel industry as the prime tar- of four major U.S. newspapers sim- ysis of the fossil fuel industries is in get for change, and launching 350.org, ilarly found that pro-climate action short supply. Overall our respond- which has spearheaded the interna- tended to be portrayed as unsuccess- ents said the editorial environment tional divestment campaign. ful or costly.) favours economic growth, consumer- The concept of climate justice For example, Gunster’s 2011 study, ism and private sector interests. could provide a meta-frame that published in the Canadian Journal connects the dots for climate crisis of Communication, points out how What does better reporting. It is based on the premise daily coverage in Vancouver’s main- news look like? that those who have benefited the stream media of the 2009 Copenha- most from (or contributed the most gen climate summit highlights some to) atmospheric dumping should hat kind of news would be of the characteristics that turn peo- shoulder the responsibility for re- more likely to engage people ple off climate politics. Arguments dressing the climate crisis—especial- W who are concerned about cli- in favour of political solutions were ly since those most vulnerable to the mate change, and to motivate them framed by the news as means to negative impacts of climate change to take action? As summarized in the avoiding climate change’s damaging had the least responsibility for cre- News Media and Climate Politics re- effects; litle atention was paid to the ating them. port, the focus groups offered impor- positive impacts of environmental Applied to journalism, climate jus- tant clues. initiatives (e.g., green jobs). Most of tice suggests a reflexive and critical Pro-climate news would celebrate the time, jobs were pited against en- monitoring of climate policies and political action by ordinary citizens. vironmental protection, as if one sac- impacts. It invokes greater atention Stories of entrepreneurial activism rificed the other. to climate disruption in the most vul- and everyday heroism provide con- Abstract calls for pro-climate pol- nerable parts of the world, and rais- crete examples of the connection be- icies were counterbalanced in news es the question of who benefits or tween individual and collective polit- stories with pessimistic and specific suffers from high-emission econom- ical action. News articles would tell accounts of governments’ failures to ic development. It inspires linkage success stories about climate pol- enact them, and these failures were between events that conventional itics—from citizen action to pub- framed as the largely inevitable out- news ofen compartmentalizes, like lic policies that have worked in oth- come of selfish and narrow political free trade agreements and locally er jurisdictions—to counteract cyn- interest among governments and sustainable economies. And it pos- icism and counterbalance reports of middle-class voters. Climate denial- its climate crisis as an ethical ques- the failures of conventional politics. ism wasn’t the problem—a cynical tion, not just another political con- The focus of these stories would be and pessimistic framing of the po- troversy. strongly local. They might ask: how is tential for political action was. Again, the key problem is not cli- our community connected with the In interviews with the Climate Jus- mate science denialism or a lack of causes, impacts and solutions asso- tice Project, Vancouver-area environ- information about climate change. ciated with climate change? Politi- mental communicators in advocacy Simply shovelling more data at peo- cal engagement would be normal- groups and independent media ex- ple won’t inspire them to act. Rath- ized, treated as something that ordi- panded on these themes. They found er, the main blockage is a “hope gap,” 41 a discrepancy between the scale of stories that will maximize “clicks,” nisms. Textbook examples are roads, the challenge and the sense of effica- typically celebrity gossip and sensa- streetlamps and national defence. cy that ordinary people need as a ba- tional statements rather than more Consumers can obtain a great deal sis for real engagement. With these substantial news relevant to democ- of news (from environmental blogs findings in mind, let’s now turn to the racy and political efficacy. to advertising-supported commuter connections between climate activ- Given its complex and sometimes dailies and urban weeklies to word of ism and democratic media reform. disquieting nature, climate policy mouth) without direct charge. journalism may be a “merit good,” Moreover, quality journalism pro- Why corporate media tend somewhat like organic vegetables vides positive externalities—benefits to be anti-climate in that people may not be prepared that accrue to people and society be- to pay enough to finance its produc- yond the buyers and sellers directly tion even though they understand involved in the transaction. Sugges- he contradiction between media the long-term benefits. To be sure, tively, comparative research by Toril commercialism and such demo- crowdfunding through the Internet Aalberg, James Curran and their col- T cratic values as equality and in- can help support individual bloggers leagues (How Media Inform Democ- formed participation has motivat- and small-scale journalism organiza- racy) has demonstrated a positive re- ed media reform organizations in a tions. But it is not clear that dona- lationship between the strength of a number of countries. Prominent ex- tions from already supportive indi- country’s public service (as distinct amples include Free Press and Me- viduals can expand climate journal- from commercial) broadcasting sys- dia Alliance in the U.S., the Campaign ism with the speed and scale needed. tem, and the population’s level of po- for Press and Broadcasting Freedom Besides, fundraising already occu- litical knowledge and participation. and the Media Reform Coalition in pies too much of independent me- And yet, although society benefits the U.K., New Zealand’s Coalition for dia’s energies, according to Robert from such engagement, there are Beter Broadcasting, and OpenMed- McChesney and John Nichols, coau- no obvious marketplace purchases ia here in Canada. Many of the fac- thors of The Death and Life of Amer- whereby individuals can help pay tors that make for “bad news” on the ican Journalism. for the costs of producing it. environment reflect longstanding Scholars are increasingly arguing Like other public goods generat- critiques brought forward by these that news produced by the media ing positive externalities, journalism groups and others. has some of the characteristics of a has never been fully financed by di- Consumer sovereignty, the idea public good—a good that is difficult rect market transactions. In Cana- that media give people what they to commodify because it is non-ri- da and the U.S., the news has been want, is a key rationalization for a valrous (one person’s consumption subsidized by advertising for much commercial media system. But while of the news does not detract from of the past century. Unfortunately, good work is done in some corners another’s) and non-excludable (it is however, advertising helps create “a of the corporate media world, main- difficult to deny access to “free rid- set of cultural conditions that makes stream news outlets generally embed ers” who have not paid for it). Pub- us less inclined to deal with climate biases that are inimical to environ- lic goods are thus notably difficult change,” so that “a media and tele- mental communication. Their prima- to produce through market mecha- communications industry fuelled by ry market is traditionally advertisers, advertising and profit maximization not media consumers. This generates is, at the moment, part of the prob- pressure for content to be compatible lem rather than part of the solution,” with consumerism, and to appeal to according to Tammy Boyce and Jus- appropriate demographics, privileg- tin Lewis in Climate Change and the ing affluent consumers over the less Media. well-heeled who are disproportion- Moreover, that business model is ately the victims of ecological degra- Again, the key in serious trouble as advertising and dation. Market-driven media are not problem is not audiences migrate to the Internet. likely to give the later group a prom- Marketers no longer need to subsi- inent voice. climate science dize journalism as a “free lunch” to The evolving mediascape of on- denialism or a lack atract audiences. Journalism is ar- line commercial journalism does guably becoming a case of “market not promise much beter, despite the of information about failure,” a concept deriving from con- technical potential of the Internet for climate change. ventional neoclassical economics to explanatory and solutions-oriented describe a scenario, as Victor Pickard journalism. Editorial decision-mak- Simply shovelling puts it in America’s Batle for Media ers can now instantly determine more data at people Democracy, “in which the market is what type of stories atract the most unable to efficiently produce and al- “click-throughs” (unique visitors). Fu- won’t inspire them locate resources, especially public ture content is influenced by running to act. goods. This ofen occurs when pri- 42 vate enterprise withholds invest- mental communication scholar Ali- discourse and agendas. Tradition- ments in critical social services be- son Anderson (Sociology Compass). al media corporations have extend- cause it cannot extract the returns Sociologist Wallace Clement’s land- ed their presence onto the Internet, that would justify the necessary ex- mark 1975 study of power in Canada and they supply much of the infor- penditures, or when consumers fail suggested multi-level links between mation that is the basis for the blo- to pay for such services’ full societal the economic elite (senior executives gosphere’s opinion merchants. benefit.” and directors of major corporations) Conversely, the dependence of so- Beyond the crisis of journalism’s and media executives and owners. cial justice groups on digital media business model, however, climate cri- Through old-boy networks, inter- makes communication policy prin- sis journalism faces additional bar- locking directorships, corporate-de- ciples (such as affordable, uncen- riers of institutional structure, class pendent media revenue streams, and sored Internet access, as advocated power and ideology that go well be- shared political perspectives, social by OpenMedia) directly relevant to yond conventional economic notions backgrounds and career paterns, their work. According to research by of market failure. As Naomi Klein media and economic elites are fused Thomas Poell and Jose van Dijck in argues in This Changes Everything, into a cohesive corporate elite that the Routledge Companion to Alterna- taking global warming seriously re- wields financial and ideological pow- tive and Community Media, excessive quires a positive role for government, er. (Forty years on, the “corporate dependence on social media leads so- a strengthened public sector and col- mapping project,” led by the Univer- cial movements to reproduce some lective action, all of which is precisely sity of Victoria, the CCPA and the of the most problematic aspects of why the neoliberal right-wing (espe- Parkland Institute, is updating and traditional media politics. Spectacle cially in the U.S.) prefers not to take expanding an important aspect of and event orientation take precedent it seriously. this work—the impact of fossil fuel over elaborated explanations, solu- A similar ideological animus might corporations on Canada’s economy, tion building and other aspects of apply to dominant media. Afer all, democracy and culture.) pro-climate journalism as discussed ecologically destructive capital log- One relevant example of such in- above. ic fuels the need for the media to at- fluence is the reported backroom tract profitable upscale audienc- deal in 2014 between Postmedia, Can- Alternative media for es, the commercial media’s symbi- ada’s largest newspaper chain, and progressive climate politics otic relationship with the growth of the Canadian Association of Petro- middle-class urban consumerism in leum Producers (CAPP). Under the here are good examples of en- global capitalism’s “emerging econo- heading “Thought Leadership,” the gaging pro-climate reporting mies” like China and India, and the plan was to yield advertorials fo- T in the for-profit media. For in- project of colonizing popular imag- cussing on fossil fuel energy. Topics stance, in the city of Burnaby, Brit- ination with consumerist lifestyles. were to be directed by CAPP but writ- ish Columbia, the community paper Sustained critical atention to over- ten by Postmedia staff, with 12 sin- Burnaby Now has provided fair and consumption, especially from a cli- gle-page “Joint Ventures” in 13 ma- detailed coverage of the controversy mate justice perspective, is not ex- jor Canadian newspapers. Tellingly, surrounding the proposed expansion actly compatible with those logics. Postmedia readers found out about of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, stor- In her book, Journalism in Crisis, the proposed deal in the small but age facilities and tanker traffic, a pro- Nuria Almiron sees a qualitative leap groundbreaking independent Van- ject connected with the expansion of in the recent integration of news me- couver Observer. the Alberta tar sands. The commu- dia with contemporary capitalism. Does such collusion between Big nity’s active engagement against As finance capital comes to domi- Media and Big Carbon really mater? the proposal was normalized and nate the industrial sphere, corpo- Occasionally, social justice activists portrayed respectfully. (Disclosure: rate media prioritize financial infor- dismiss Canada’s major media corpo- a neighbour and I were featured in a mation and services at the expense rations as irrelevant “legacy” media, front page photo showing the beau- of journalism, and become specula- believing everything to be fine be- tiful landscape we considered to be tive actors themselves, desperate to cause they have their own websites at risk.) increase profits and revenues. The and digital networks. Would that it But on the whole, journalism sub- growing concentration and globali- were so. Dwayne Winseck’s research ordinated to corporate imperatives zation of news media ownership, and on this issue demonstrates the con- will generally be muted on an issue the expansion of a global public re- tinued reach and concentrated own- that implicitly evokes the need for lations industry with sophisticated ership of the major media (see his ar- collective action beyond the con- media strategies, are further struc- ticle in this section). They may now straints of market relations, consum- tural barriers, yielding an emphasis share news dissemination with cor- erism and property rights. Instead, ef- on human interest, celebrity and en- porate-owned “social media” (bet- fective climate justice communica- tertainment-oriented reporting at ter termed “digital connective net- tion is more likely to be nurtured in the expense of complex issues like works”), but the corporate press independent/alternative media. In climate crisis, according to environ- continues to influence public policy 43 addition to shared grievances, alter- Journalism These characteristics mesh well with native media are a second point of climate crisis journalism that would connection between climate activ- subordinated seek to inform and mobilize coun- ism and media reform because they to corporate ter-publics, engage local communi- struggle at the margins of the me- ties and challenge entrenched pow- diascape. They would benefit from imperatives will er. While surprisingly litle scholar- public policy that offset the systemic generally be muted ship discusses the role of alternative biases of market-driven media. And media in climate change communica- they can provide models of journal- on an issue that tion, some of the most relevant re- ism that can influence larger media. implicitly evokes the search has been conducted in Cana- Fortunately, there are living exam- da by Shane Gunster. ples of such media in Canada, par- need for collective In his above-mentioned analysis ticularly online. Nationally, rabble.ca action beyond the of how mainstream and alternative has been offering moderately lef-of- media in British Columbia reported centre views since 2001. Vancouver is constraints of the 2009 Copenhagen climate negoti- home to several outlets that empha- market relations, ations, Gunster concluded that alter- size pro-environment news. For ex- native media offered more optimistic ample, The Tyee has offered investi- consumerism and and engaged visions of climate poli- gative, analytical and solutions-ori- property rights. tics than the cynical, pessimistic and ented reportage on energy issues largely spectatorial accounts that and much else since 2003, and com- dominated conventional news. While petes well with the lacklustre corpo- alternative media were deeply criti- rate Vancouver dailies for readership. cal of the spectacular failure of “pol- The Vancouver Observer, founded in itics as usual” at that summit, they 2006, provides bloggers and reporters invited the public to respond with with a platform on the environment outrage and (collective) action rath- and other issues, ofen telling sto- er than (individualized) despair and ries from human interest and wom- established order poses to subaltern hopelessness. Informed by a deeper, en’s perspectives, such as its series groups (rather than vice versa); more sophisticated and broadly sym- on life in the tar sands epicentre of pathetic exploration of the multiplic- Participatory production pro- Fort McMurray. DeSmog.ca is an on- ' ity of climate activisms, alternative cesses, such as horizontal commu- line news magazine “dedicated to cut- media (re)positioned political action nication (both within news organ- ting through the spin clouding the as a meaningful and accessible re- izations, and with readers and au- debate on energy and environment,” sponse to climate change. diences); and communicative rela- challenging climate science denial- In a companion study of a year’s tionships that both reduce the gap ism and Big Carbon’s public relations worth of climate change coverage in between producers and users, and machinery. alternative media, Climate Change empower ordinary people to engage There’s much debate about bound- Politics: Communication and Public in public discourse; aries, purposes and even the label “al- Engagement, Gunster argued that ternative” media. Many journalists ' Mobilization-orientation, or a pos- their more optimistic framing was in non-corporate media prefer the itive orientation toward progressive largely due to consistent atention term “independent,” with their role social change, and productive con- to inspirational stories and concrete being not to promote social change nections with (but not subordina- examples of civic activism and en- as such, but to do beter citizen-ori- tion to) social movements; gagement, political struggle, innova- ented journalism than is typically of- tive and effective public policy, and Localism and engagement with fered in conventional media. What- ' transformative change in communi- communities whether defined in ever term you prefer, the research lit- ties, institutions and governments. In terms of shared locale or shared in- erature suggests that quintessential short, alternative media ran stories of terests; “alternative” media would have some political success that can sustain and of the following characteristics: ' Independence from state and cor- invigorate feelings of hope. porate control, and from commercial Oppositional or counter-hegem- ' imperatives; and ofen under individ- onic content, including alternative Policy support ual or co-operative ownership; and frames; coverage of issues, events, for democratic media and perspectives that are marginal- ' Low degree of capitalization, i.e., ized or ignored by conventional me- entry costs are low enough to ena- he challenge is how to scale up dia; and criteria of newsworthiness ble under-resourced communities to the best practices and frames that emphasize the threats that the gain a public voice. T of such independent media to

44 the point where they can influence lic policy support for alternative and of Community Television Users and “mainstream” public discourse, given independent media. What might this Stations (CACTUS) recommends. that the economic forces noted above support look like in Canada? Such policies revolve around subsi- not only favour commercialized me- How about charitable status for dies, incentives and infrastructure dia, but also make sustainability dif- non-profit news organizations? Or support. They need to be operated ficult for independent, non-commer- a Citizenship News Voucher, as pro- at arms’ length from government to cial, alternative media. posed by U.S. economist Dean Bak- avoid political interference. Canada, Neither the content nor the de- er, whereby taxpayers can contribute afer all, has ample experience in sup- mographics of independents are at- $200 toward the non-profit news out- porting public broadcasting, maga- tractive to advertisers. Politicians let of their choice? International ex- zines, the arts, and television and and other newsmakers ofen deny amples offer more inspiration for pol- film production through public in- these media quotes or access to news icy reform: stitutions or programs. events. Alternative magazines don’t Facilitate the formation of trusts, In the past decade, despite the bit- enjoy much access to the semi-mo- ' like the one that publishes the Guard- ter winds of a neoliberal political nopolistic distribution networks (you ian in the U.K., a global leader in cam- environment, media reform organi- won’t ofen see Canadian Dimension paigning for climate action. zations in the U.S. and Canada have at supermarket checkout counters). been able to mobilize people and win They don’t have the cross-media re- Achieve cross-subsidization with- ' some regulatory victories, particular- sources to promote their websites in the media system to support ly in telecommunications. Starting competitively with corporate media. non-profit public service media almost from scratch, OpenMedia and They typically rely on volunteer la- through small taxes on profit-ori- Free Press have each atracted hun- bour, grants and donations, and de ented sectors like telecommunica- dreds of thousands of supporters. A facto subsidization from institutional tion services, cable television sub- corporate-dominated media system sponsors including foundations and scriptions or media advertising. is not inevitable or immutable. trade unions. As York University’s Da- Charge commercial broadcasters But I’m not advocating for particu- vid Skinner notes, even The Tyee, one ' for their licensed use of the public lar policies or organizations. Rather, of Canada’s most successful alterna- spectrum. the point is that media reformers tive independent news organizations, and environmentalists could find “still struggles financially.” Revitalize public service broad- ' common ground in favouring pub- While alternative media are eco- casting, as the Friends of Canadian lic policy support of alternative me- nomically precarious, they add di- Broadcasting advocate. dia and independent journalism as versity to the media system, fill the Remove community access televi- important pillars of democracy and growing gaps in local news and pro- ' sion from the grip of the cable mo- climate communication. Through vide public voice for groups, top- nopolies and instead require them to greener media, a greener planet. ics and perspectives marginalized M fund multimedia community access in dominant media. There is thus a centres, as the Canadian Association strong democratic rationale for pub-

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Shamelessly independent Abigail Kidd talks to Sheila Sampath about her magazine’s place in the media universe

HAMELESS magazine’s total independence from the mainstream, and im- portantly from capital, has been key to its surviv- al in an increasingly con- Scentrated, homogenous media envi- ronment. Feminist, anti-capitalist, ac- tivist—Shameless speaks to the next generation, guided by principles of anti-oppression and social justice. Sheila Sampath joined Shameless a decade ago and has been the maga- zine’s editorial and art director since 2010. Abigail Kidd connected with her recently to talk about the evolution of the project and the power of vol- unteer journalism. Abigail: I see Shameless as particu- “Doing Shameless became a form of doing Abigail: So, what is Shameless and larly good at exposing young people activism in itself,” says editor Sheila Sampath. how has it changed over time? to perspectives they aren’t likely to Sheila: Shameless started as an alter- access in mainstream media, to vali- native magazine in the wake of mag- date their experiences… us there are a lot of forms of activism azines like Sassy. There was a poli- that are really important, but meet- Sheila: A lot of us remember what it’s tic to it, but it wasn’t necessarily ac- ing folks where they are at and pro- like to be a teenager facing multiple tivist. Then one editor stepped back viding those entry points to knowl- forms of oppression. I think every- and we got a new one and for a time edge about those systems is why we one at Shameless falls into this cat- it was prety feminist, but a type of exist. egory. We remember what it’s like to feminism that I didn’t always feel su- be alienated by media. Being a teen Abigail: Would you say, then, that per comfortable with. A very white- is really hard. And it’s a phase of life Shameless is partially a response to cis feminism. So in 2010 we rewrote when you’re navigating huge system- a lack of diversity in media? the mandate of Shameless and de- ic issues. You’re navigating them in cided that if we were going to be a Sheila: I think that when we see ways that are really deeply personal, feminist magazine, let’s be a feminist diversity in the media normally it and you don’t necessarily have access magazine. A part of that means being comes from a place of tokenization. to the language, the resources, the anti-capitalist, having a de-colonial A newspaper or magazine might have knowledge to know that what you’re approach, centring voices of colour, one black columnist, or say we have a dealing with isn’t about you. So when centring queer voices, being trans-in- staff POC (person of colour) writer, or we talk about things like body image clusive…. And then engaging in ongo- staff queer person that writes about in teens, you’re actually navigating is- ing processes of reflection. I think in queer issues. But the ownership and sues of patriarchy, racism, fatphobia that moment, more than being an ed- the agency is still in the hands of and all this stuff, but the way you ex- itorial project it really became an ac- dominant groups. So Shameless is perience it when you’re 13 or 14 years tivist project. Editorial was how we in part a response to representation, old is you feel like there’s something did our activism, but doing Shame- but also to this idea of ownership wrong with you, you feel unhappy…. less became a form of doing activ- and the centring of voices. Moving I think all of us having faced multiple ism in itself. And I think the atitude beyond tokenistic inclusion toward oppressions really remember that. To shifed a lot. meaningful inclusion. 46 Abigail: So who owns Shameless? mass media then we were 10 years we’re fine being small, and I think ago. Now we’re more of a specula- we don’t necessarily need or want to Sheila: Well, we have no capital, so tive project on its own. Rather than be the dominant mainstream voice. there’s no actual material ownership. trying to respond to something we’re We want to speak to that youth that It’s a 100% volunteer-run organiza- an alternative to it. is feeling like shit…. Our scales are a tion, primarily led by queer folks of Our demographic is really specific. lot smaller because for us it’s deep- colour. All of us have very intersect- We’re not actually competing for the ly personal and we can all relate to ing identities and are working from masses. So it’s not so much of a mar- that feeling of seeing yourself erased places of those experiences. We also ket-based approach for us as much through mainstream media. last year founded a youth advisory as it is a political project. So that con- board and so a part of our longer- Abigail: You’ve talked about the free- centration, it makes us relevant in a term mandate is to shif ownership, dom of being independent. What lot of ways. Because the more con- in terms of production of the mag- about the challenges? centration you have, the fewer voic- azine, from adults to youth. So the es you have. A lot of what we’re try- Sheila: I think the challenge is that only paid positions at Shameless are ing to do is…actually centre marginal- we don’t have money, which does lim- our youth advisory board positions, ized voices. I think ideally it would be it who can access the project. I think which pay a very small amount…. great to live in a world were Shame- that we represent a lot of neglect- This is our first year doing the youth less doesn’t have to exist as an activ- ed diversities of people amongst our advisory board, but we do skill shares ist project. staff, but we are also all people who with them and develop editorial skill I think sometimes when we talk can afford to work for free…. The op- sets and arts-based skills sets with about media, we talk about the num- portunities that come from that are them, and they also contribute to the ber of hits on a website, or the num- independence. We’re accountable leadership of the magazine. ber of readers. And I think for Shame- to our community, but we’re not ac- Abigail: This issue of the Monitor less, and a part of why this project countable to a funder. tackles the state of Canada’s news continued, is our metrics are quite I think being independent has been and cultural media. Canada currently different. We’re really small and part of what has allowed Shameless has one of the most concentrated me- to be really strong, because we’re dia environments in the world—has guided by a politic and a feminist pro- that had an impact on Shameless? cess, and we’re not so much guided by being accountable to a body that Sheila: Shameless started off as a We’re not actually doesn’t necessarily share those poli- response to media in a lot of ways, competing for the tics. We have a mandate that guides to that concentration. Actually, it our editorial and our advertisers. was founded as an alternative mag- masses. So it’s not Capitalism doesn’t work in a way azine in direct opposition to mass so much of a market- that’s ever going to favour feminist media that was targeted specifical- media or an anti-capitalist project. I ly at young women at the time. I based approach for think the pros that come from that think we’ve moved past that in a lot us as much as it is a outweigh the cons enough for us to of ways. We’re less of a response to political project. keep going. M 47 Feature Paul Weinberg Out of control The Harper government set gun control back a decade. Will the Liberals put Canada back on track?

N JULY 17, 2010, a squad of deny a license on the grounds that a Mounties was called to a home person is a threat to themselves or in Okotoks, Alberta, just south to others. of Calgary, where 39-year-old Annie Delisle, a spokesperson for Corey Lewis had barricaded the RCMP-administered Canadian himself in. Earlier, Lewis had Firearms Program, declined to com- Oknocked down his wife, Naydene, and ment directly on the Lewis case, but punched a teenaged stepson in the she maintains that gun licence appli- face, causing both to flee with the cants are asked about past criminal couple’s younger daughter. Afer a convictions, behavioral problems and six-hour standoff, Lewis was even- court orders. “Since 2007, enhanced tually shot and killed on his door- security screening has been in place step early Sunday morning. The po- to assist chief firearms officers lice officers thought he was carrying (CFOs) in determining the eligibil- one of five long-barreled guns they ity of firearms licence applicants,” had seen earlier inside the home. In a she says. Graham’s report, however, strange twist, it turned out Lewis was sheds doubt on whether the reforms holding a black umbrella he’d taped have been sufficient. to his hands before stepping outside. “I find that the screening process In her public fatality report about used to grant the gun licenses to Mr. the incident, released in January this Lewis lacked diligence and common year, Alberta judge Marlene Graham sense and gives me no sense of as- said, “I do find that Mr. Lewis’s pos- surance that public safety, which session of the five long-barreled guns is the purpose of the Firearms Act, was an integral part of the event lead- was being sufficiently emphasized ing to his death.” Graham’s summary throughout the process,” she stat- highlighted a loosey-goosey gun reg- ed. Will a new government in Ota- ulation regime in Canada where even wa heed the lesson? the police seem unclear about how to enforce existing laws. Lewis’s primary hobby involved Incrementalism, guns, which he kept unloaded (with- deregulation and confusion out ammunition) and “secured prop- un control was strengthened in- erly” in the master bedroom. He also G crementally in Canada through had a history of mental illness, in- legislation introduced between the cluding one atempted suicide. In 1970s and 1990s by previous Liberal 2007, Lewis was temporarily removed governments. From licensing rules from the family home by a court’s and gun classification to the long- emergency protection order (EPO) gun registry, the aim was to assist the in response to domestic abuse alle- police in their criminal investigations gations that included an assault on where weapons were involved. Then another stepson. Graham wrote that came the Harper government, which Lewis had been licensed for the guns dismantled key elements of the re- by the Chief Firearms Officer of Al- gime during its 10 years in power. berta, the official ultimately respon- There is a chance this legacy of sible for carrying out the federal Fire- deregulation will endure. Justin arms Act in the province. A CFO can Trudeau’s Liberal government has 48 firmly stated the national long-gun thor of Arming and Disarming: A His- Cukier, president of the Coalition registry is not coming back. Both op- tory of Gun Control in Canada (2012), for Gun Control, was at the hearings position parties are more or less in says from that point on, gun control in Quebec City to support the pro- agreement on that point. The use of and the long-gun registry were asso- vincial registry. She describes the illegal handguns in gang killings in ciated, unfairly, with the word “boon- Harper government’s actions on the major cities like Toronto may be a doggle” in the Canadian public’s mind. national long-gun registry as “vindic- major concern to local police depart- Yet there is evidence the long-gun tive” and “painful,” but is unwilling to ments. And the office of Public Safety registry functioned well, says Éti- give up on the cause. “Afer 25 years, Minister Ralph Goodale says it wants enne Blais, a University of Montre- those who have spoken of gun con- “to get handguns and assault weap- al criminologist. “There was a 5–10% trol are prety worn out and it’s been ons off our streets.” But with only 156 drop in long-gun homicides because difficult to remobilize the next gen- gun-related homicides in Canada in of the gun registry across Canada eration,” she says. 2014 (about a third of all homicides; and it was more pronounced in West- Gun control advocates, especial- nowhere near the scale of the prob- ern Canada where there is a higher ly in the women’s movement, were lem in the United States), this is not homicide rate,” he says. spurned to action by the massa- high on the federal political radar. Blais argues that measures such as cre, in December 1989, of 14 women Gun control advocates like Wendy registration and background checks at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. Cukier say it should be because of the can reduce gun deaths and keep fire- Marc Lépine used a precision hunt- everyday presence of millions of ordi- arms out of the hands of troubled ing rifle, the Rugar Mini-14 (pictured), nary unrestricted rifles and shotguns people who may, on impulse, resort which is today classified as a legal un- (long guns) in Canadian homes that to shooting themselves if there is a restricted weapon, easy to access in can be used to kill, injure or threaten gun close at hand. Within the 10% Quebec. in situations involving domestic vio- of people who kill themselves using “We’ve had to basically start from lence, suicides or the shooting of po- guns, 85% of the time it is with a long scratch because the journalists have lice officers. In a recent Shelter Voic- gun, he explains. changed and the politicians have es survey of 1,760 women in 234 Cana- Blais supported a bill that passed in changed,” Cukier says. dian shelters and transition houses, June in Quebec’s national assembly to Another point of contention is 110 had fled male partners afer be- resurrect a long-gun registry for that the RCMP’s ability to restrict or pro- ing threatened with a gun. province. This spring, Quebec’s Liber- hibit guns through orders-in-coun- Police investigations into gun-re- al majority government held legisla- cil. It was Pierre Trudeau’s govern- lated crime got a boost in 1995 with tive hearings that saw pro-gun and ment that first classified guns as un- the passage of legislation to create gun-control groups buting heads. restricted, restricted and prohibited a digital, Canadawide unrestrict- The new registry is potentially cost- (see box), which annoyed wealthy ed long-gun registry. Essentially it ly because it has to be built from the gun collectors, says A.J. Somerset, was a searchable database for track- ground up afer the province failed in the London, Ontario–based author ing weapons found at crime scenes, its legal appeal to preserve the Que- of Arms: The Culture and the Credo like the system that has existed for bec population’s portion of the na- of the Gun (2015), and the owner of restricted handguns and semi-auto- tional registry records. Still, Blais is three guns. matic long guns since the 1930s. confident there is widespread sup- “Major collectors tend to support In 2011, the long-gun registry was port for the bill in Quebec where he the gun lobby groups for the simple eliminated, its 7.1 million records de- says gun ownership is low. reason that their collections are of stroyed by the Harper government, all to fulfil a promise to gun enthusi- asts in rural and western ridings who chafed at the perceived bureaucratic Weapon Classification intrusion. During a March 2015 inter- Almost two million Canadians are licensed to buy and own guns, accord- view with the National Post, Harp- ing to the RCMP. There are three categories of weapons under the Fire- er argued it was also about self-de- arms Act: fence.“My wife’s from a rural area,” he said. “Gun ownership wasn’t just ' Unrestricted guns such as rifles and shotguns are commonly used by for the farm. It was also for a certain most licensed gun owners in Canada for hunting and sports shooting. level of security when you’re a ways ' Restricted guns include semi-automatic weapons and certain hand- from immediate police assistance.” guns, which carry stronger requirements for a demonstrated need. They Tipping the public atitude against are used by a smaller number of licensed gun owners for target shooting the gun registry, at least in Eng- or for the purpose of collecting. People in jobs requiring personal protec- lish-speaking Canada, was its origi- tion, such as policing, are permited to use restricted guns. nal price tag: Jean Chretien’s Liber- al government spent $1 billion to set ' A prohibited category includes handguns and automatic-firing long it up. Blake Brown, historian and au- guns. 49 great financial value and they fear sales of unrestricted long guns as duce the names of the person who losing that investment,” he says. “If they must for restricted firearms. owns the gun in question. “There isn’t the government bans a specific group (Since the abolition of the long-gun a single [gun] seller that I know that of guns, as they did in the ‘90s with registry, there is no obligation for doesn’t record the information.” pistols having barrels less than four stores to take down details of their But there are plenty of holes in Ber- inches, then the collector stands to transactions beyond warranty infor- nardo’s argument, say supporters of lose a lot of money.” mation for new guns.) Cukier’s pre- gun control. For one thing, as Blais Under pressure from the gun lob- ferred solution is quite modest. notes, the absence of a gun registry by, the Harper government shifed re- “The volumes in a point-of-sale makes it easier for lawful gun owners sponsibility for firearm classification tracking system are very different. to sell their weapons to people, espe- from the police to the Canadian Fire- Registering all guns requires about cially criminals, who are not licensed arms Advisory Commitee. It was one seven million transactions. Tracking to carry weapons. The gun lobbyist is of several controversial provisions sales is probably less than 500,000 just creating barriers to police inves- in the Common Sense Firearms Li- per year.” tigations. censing Act. The new commitee end- “The gun registry can be consulted ed up embarrassing the Harper gov- in a preventive way. You can consult ernment when it came out for the ab- Answering the gun lobby the registry to make sure you [are re- olition of the Firearms Act, says Som- hatever the Liberals choose to do stricting] all guns [to certain individu- erset. Sensing public outrage, Harper W on the gun issue they will have to als] and make sure that gun transfers removed some of the pro-gun activ- contend with the Canadian Shooting involve persons allowed to own guns,” ists from the commitee and replaced Sports Association (CSSA), this coun- says Blais. “I would also say that the them with police representatives. try’s version of the National Rifle As- registry makes things easier. You do Two months afer its electoral sociation. They are the one group in not need to go through all the steps victory in October, the Liberal gov- a fractured Canadian gun movement mentioned by Bernardo.” ernment had the advisory commit- that engages regularly with politi- Surprisingly, for a gun owner, Som- tee disbanded, vowing to broaden cians in Otawa, observes Somerset. erset also criticizes Bernardo’s prop- its membership to include women’s When reached on the telephone, osition. “The irony here is that in the groups, public health experts and CSSA President Tony Bernardo ex- United States, federal firearms li- lawyers. In addition, spokespersons presses strong opposition to the po- cence holders (the equivalent of our for Public Safety Minister Goodale lice having any veto powers on gun licensed firearms businesses) are re- claimed the government will “put de- usage. He is concerned about what he quired by law to keep records of their cision-making about weapons classi- calls the “absolute God-power” of the sales. So the U.S. now tracks sales of fications back in the hands of police, CFO to close down target gun rang- firearms more effectively than does who are the experts in these maters.” es. And he defends the sniper rifle: Canada.” Somerset also expresses The reforms, if and when they hap- “People have been buying them in some doubts about the current clas- pen, would come amid some alarm- the stores for 120 years. There is noth- sification of the .50 calibre sniper ri- ing trends, as Cukier points out. In ing new; this is just a bolt-action ri- fle, which he says has “no reasonable February, iPolitics reported a sharp fle that shoots real good. This is ex- hunting application. increase in the number of restricted actly the same as a deer rifle, there is “They do have legitimate appli- weapons in the hands of licensed gun no difference.” cation in long-range target shoot- owners, from about 400,000 in 2005 Over the past decade, Bernardo has ing but there is concern over poten- to about 726,000 in 2014, as document- advised both the Liberals and Con- tial misuse, given that they can eas- ed in this year’s report of the feder- servatives on gun regulation, includ- ily go through light armor. Wheth- al Commissioner of Firearms. (Judge ing the controversial Bill 42. He sat er these rifles ought to be restricted Graham wrote that Corey Lewis had on the Canadian Firearms Adviso- is a thorny question. They are ex- restricted firearms in his possession.) ry Commitee until it was disband- tremely expensive, and none has Cukier wants gun classifications ed in December 2015. Bernardo calls been used in a crime in this coun- brought up to date. Fify calibre snip- Cukier’s gun sales tracking proposal try to my knowledge, but it is a le- er rifles, which can fire on a two-kilo- “half-assed” and a “backdoor” regis- gitimate debate.” metre range, and certain semi-auto- try. Today’s minimal gun regulatory Minister Goodale declined to be in- matics have ended up in the unrestrict- regime is sufficient for the police to terviewed for this article, and at press ed classification, she says. “So while do their job, he maintains. time the Department of Public Safe- [the unrestricted category] is intend- If the police officers want to trace a ty had provided no legislative time- ed to be primarily rifles and shotguns weapon in a crime scene, argues Ber- line for new gun control bills or reg- [it] has not been rigorously applied.” nardo, they can use the serial number ulations. M The litmus test for the Trudeau markings to contact the gun’s orig- government’s commitment to gun inal manufacturer, which can lead regulation, she says, will be wheth- them ultimately to the gun shop, er gun stores are required to record which can be subpoenaed to pro- 50 International affairs Asad Ismi Amid crisis, a coup in Brazil Right-wing parties force out president to force in austerity

HE BRAZILIAN SENATE voted May 13 to suspend the country’s lef- ist president, Dilma Rousseff, pending the conclusion of her trial this summer on charg- es of financial illegality. Spe- Tcifically Rousseff is accused of us- ing money from state banks to ob- scure a budget deficit during her 2014 re-election campaign, a common tac- tic used by previous Brazilian gov- ernments and even U.S. administra- tions. If eventually found guilty by at least two-thirds of senators—the im- peachment trial is expected to wrap up in early August so as not to inter- fere with the Olympics—she will be permanently removed from office. The impeachment proceedings against Rousseff were triggered by a majority vote in the Chamber of Dep- uties (Brazil’s lower house) on April 17. Afer the senate vote in May, she was replaced by vice-president Michel Te- mer of the right-wing Brazilian Dem- Temer’s own impeachment is al- Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Roussef ocratic Movement Party (PMDB). ready being considered by the low- criticized the lack of women in the cabinet One of Temer’s first moves as interim er house, as he signed the same sort of Interim President Michel Temer during a president was to appoint a new con- of budget directives that were the al- “Women for Democracy” rally in Rio de Janeiro servative, all-white, all-male cabinet leged trigger for removing Rousseff. on June 2. (close to 51% of Brazilians are non- Additionally, the acting president is EPA/ANTONIO LACERDA white) and announce a severe neo- being investigated for receiving $1.5 liberal austerity program. million from a construction company Not only is Temer widely hated that had dealings with Petrobras, and Brazilian elite that wants to stop Op- by Brazilians, his cabinet has been is accused of bribery linked to eth- eration Car Wash in its tracks. The rocked by scandal, notably the sack- anol deals done through the state- investigation has implicated politi- ing of two ministers following the re- owned oil company. Seven of Temer’s cians of all stripes, from across the lease of damning evidence of their ministers are implicated in the mas- senate and lower house, in a variety corruption. Temer’s own credibility sive Petrobras corruption investiga- of crimes involving bribes and kick- was destroyed when a regional elec- tion known as Operation Car Wash. backs stemming from contracts be- tions court in his home town of São Rousseff is head of the lefist tween Petrobras and nine construc- Paulo convicted him on June 3 of vi- Workers’ Party (PT) that has ruled tion companies. olating election laws. The court de- Brazil for the last 14 years, and only Recent leaks support Rousseff’s clared that Temer had a “dirty re- its second leader since her predeces- position. Most damning so far is the cord,” found him guilty of spending sor, the popular Luiz Ignácio Lula da release, by Folha de São Paulo (Bra- more money on his campaign than Silva, first took office on January 1, zil’s largest newspaper), of the tran- legally permited, and banned him 2003. Rousseff has denounced her script of a 75-minute phone conversa- from running again for eight years. suspension as a coup by a corrupt tion in March between Temer’s plan- 51 ning minister, Romero Jucá (a sena- While Rousseff is not herself ac- zil still faces many challenges, from tor at the time), and Sergio Machado, cused of corruption or enriching her- an economic downturn to corruption the former head of the transport sub- self, 60% of her 594 colleagues in the scandals to the end of the commod- sidiary of Petrobras. According to an Chamber of Deputies face charges ity boom. But the country’s incredi- article in The Intercept, “The crux of for crimes ranging from money laun- ble success in reducing poverty and this plot is what Jucá calls ‘a nation- dering, bribery and electoral fraud to inequality can and should light the al pact’—involving all of Brazil’s most illegal deforestation, kidnapping and way for further progress, both there powerful institutions—to leave Tem- homicide. Impeachment hawk Edu- and abroad.” er in place as president and to kill the ardo Cunha, himself accused of tak- “[T]he opposition wants to roll back corruption investigation once Dilma ing $40 million in bribes, has been re- the key social programs and work- is removed. In the words of Folha, moved from his position as speaker ers’ rights won in the last decades Jucá made clear that impeachment of the lower house by the Supreme both before and during the PT gov- will ‘end the pressure from the me- Court. In Brazil’s upper house, 37 of ernments of 2002–2012,” says Purdy. dia and other sectors to continue the 65 senators face charges of corrup- “While many of the opposition par- Car Wash investigation.’” tion. Given the mindboggling dirt on ties remained allies to the PT gov- As recounted by The Intercept, the Brazilian political class, Rousse- ernments during [this] era of eco- Jucá also tells Machado the Brazilian ff’s suspension begins to look ridic- nomic prosperity, they now want all military is supporting the plot to re- ulous. As Noam Chomsky put it, “we their privileges and power back and move Rousseff: “I am talking to the have the one leading politician who are willing to use dubious means to generals, the military commanders. hasn’t stolen to enrich herself, who’s achieve this.” They are fine with this, they said they being impeached by a gang of thieves, Elite influence has also corrupted will guarantee it.” He adds that the who have done so. That does count the corruption investigations. Judge military is “monitoring the Landless as a kind of sof coup.” Sergio Moro, the official in charge Workers Movement (MST),” which “Rouseff’s suspension from the of Operation Car Wash, “has hand- opposes Roussef’s impeachment and presidency is certainly a ‘parliamen- picked which cases he will pursue has supported the PT’s rural land re- tary’ coup,” says Sean Purdy, a profes- and they usually involve PT mem- forms, and that he has the backing of sor of history at the University of São bers, which indicates the selectivi- several Supreme Court judges. If Bra- Paulo. “Unable to win the presiden- ty of the investigation, even though zil’s top court cannot be trusted, the tial elections democratically, Brazil’s names from almost every political ploters’ impeachment case will be right-wing opposition parties, which party in Brazil (there are more than substantially weakened in the pub- control the Chamber of Deputies and 30) showed up in testimonies,” says lic eye. The leak forced Jucá’s resig- the senate, have very hypocritically Sabrina Fernandes, a researcher at nation as planning minister. used the Petrobras scandal to pig- the University of Brasília studying Following him out the door, on gyback impeachment proceedings political fragmentation. May 30, was Fabiano Silveira, Temer’s against Rousseff.” Impeachment of a Fernandes adds that Moro has col- transparency minister, afer other re- president in Brazil requires a “crime laborated with the right-wing media cordings showed he had atempted to of responsibility,” which most legal and conservative social movements obstruct Operation Car Wash while commentators argue is simply not to pressure Lula to testify, including serving as a counsellor on the Nation- there, he adds. through the use of coercion, a pro- al Justice Council, a judicial watchdog Purdy explains that the conserva- cess deemed illegal by law experts. agency. A third leaked conversation tive opposition parties, the corporate In contrast, Cunha refused to testi- implicated conservative Senate Pres- media and key sections of the judi- fy many times, yet no force was used ident Renan Calheiros, who is next ciary have never liked the PT’s pro- against him. Fernandes concludes in line to replace Temer but also the gressive economic agenda and are us- from this that the “Car Wash” inves- target of seven investigations in the ing the current crisis—Brazil’s econ- tigation has been “appropriated for Petrobas scandal. In it, Calheiros tells omy contracted 3.8% last year due to partisan interests.” Machado he wants legal changes that falling oil and commodity prices—to Given such massive corruption would end the use of plea bargains shif direction. and the considerable evidence of a for those arrested as part of the cor- Since 2002, Workers’ Party–led gov- planned coup against Rousseff, her ruption probe. (Offers of lighter sen- ernments have implemented policies impeachment is less certain now tences encourage suspects to snitch.) to transfer the country’s wealth from than it seemed to be in May. As re- He also offers to “negotiate” a legal the rich to the poor. In 2014, the U.S. ported in Folha, several senators “transition” from Rousseff to Temer. journal Foreign Affairs noted admir- who previously supported impeach- One lobbyist claims Calheiros was ingly how, “In the first decade of the ment are now reconsidering due to paid $600,000 to end a senate probe new century, some 40 million Brazil- the leaks, and public demonstrations of corruption at Petrobras; a director ians moved from poverty into the against Temer are growing larger. M of the energy company has accused middle class, per capita household in- him of taking another $1.7 million re- come shot up by 27%, and inequali- lated to drill ship contracts. ty dropped dramatically…. Today, Bra- 52 Arts Books Reviewed by Kelley Tish Baker A measure of compassion

THE RIGHT TO DIE: THE COURAGEOUS CANADIANS WHO GAVE US THE RIGHT TO A DIGNIFIED DEATH GARY BAUSLAUGH James Lorimer & Company, 2016, 290 pages, $29.95

S THE MONITOR went to print, the Liberal gov- ernment was dueling with the Senate over the details of Bill C-14, proposed legislation on assisted dying. The outcome will likely be known by the time you read this. No mater the form Canada’s historic legislation takes, AGary Bauslaugh’s rich work provides the deep con- text for how we got here. The Right to Die profiles the key figures and mo- ments in this long struggle, climaxing in the Su- preme Court’s landmark unanimous decision in 2015 to strike down the Criminal Code’s blanket prohibi- tion on assisted death. The court ruled the law vio- lated Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to “life, liberty and security of the person.” Consequently, the feder- al government was given a year (since extended) to develop legislation allowing physician-assisted dy- ing in specific circumstances. Some of the people featured in Bauslaugh’s book will be familiar to anyone who follows the news: Sue Rodriguez, afflicted with ALS, who fought for and lost at the Supreme Court the right to end her life; Rob- ert Latimer, who was harshly punished for the mercy killing of his severely disabled and suffering daugh- ter; and Dr. Donald Low, the public figure of the SARS response, who recorded a video pleading for more hu- mane laws on assisted death eight days before dying of a brain tumour. Other figures are less well known, such as Eerkiyoot, a young Inuit man who became the first person prosecuted in Canada for assisted su- icide. (Because he was complying with his ill mother’s request, and because mercy killings are part of Inuit culture, he was given a light sentence.) The most intriguing profile is surely that of John Hofsess. The former journalist, who counted artists and intellectuals such as Margaret Atwood among his friends, founded the Right to Die Society of Can- ada. Afer being disappointed by a Senate report on

John Hofsess, former journalist and founder of the Right to Die Society of Canada, died earlier this year in a Swiss clinic that ofers assisted suicide. PHOTO BY TROY MOTH 53 the mater, not to mention the out- ous health issues. Moments afer his of the key trials and interviewing come of the Rodriguez case, he gave death, Toronto Life magazine pub- many of the principals. And his abil- up seeking legal or judicial change lished a piece he’d writen about hav- ity to defly render complex policy and turned to providing direct sup- ing helped end the lives of eight peo- and legal maters intelligible to the port to ailing individuals wanting to ple, including that of poet Al Purdy. lay reader is commendable. Similar- end their own lives. He did so with Bauslaugh, past president of the ly, his sheer storytelling ability is ad- his assistant, Evelyn Martens, operat- Humanist Association and editor mirable: somehow he was even able ing a highly risky secret euthanasia of its journal, doesn’t pretend to be to create suspense in his account of service across the country from 1999– neutral on the debate around assist- the pivotal 2014 Supreme Court hear- 2001, and likening it to the under- ed death, though he does allow for a ing even though the outcome is al- ground railroad in slave-era America. considered airing of opposing views. ready well known. The two went undetected for a long Unfortunately, as this appears late in We will all lose people we love, time, largely thanks to their elabo- the book, its power is somewhat di- and we all will die. This book ably rate safety precautions. minished. Readers would have been provides a much-needed chronicle But when Martens started operat- more fairly engaged had they been of how we arrived at this new era ing on her own, and flouting those able to think about all aspects of of end-of-life care in Canada. It cele- protocols, she got found out, lead- the debate as they made their way brates the fact that when it comes to ing to a pivotal trial that found her through the book. the ultimate question of timeliness— not guilty and to Hofsess ceasing the But that is a small quibble, for on when we shuffle off this mortal coil— service. He died earlier this year in a the whole this is an extremely strong we will now have a measure of com- Swiss clinic, aptly choosing assisted book. Bauslaugh’s research is thor- passionate choice. death in the face of mounting seri- ough, extending to atending some

Reviewed by Rianka Singh Occupy’s confused outcomes, and on- ing and slipping from view…in a con- going scholarly and policy discussions stant mode of becoming, forever de- about whether digital activism should veloping a meaning that it does not be beter understood as slacktivism, yet know.” Certainly, the argument their premise that awkwardness can that digital feminist activism is always be a theoretical tool for reading fem- in a state of “becoming” might help us inist activism is a welcome new per- read movements still in flux, including spective on the topic. those not specifically feminist in na- Awkward Politics shifs our aten- ture. For instance, Black Lives Mater tion from the goals of feminist ac- recently became active in Toronto. tivism, and its ability to achieve so- While the movement gained traction cial change, arguing instead that the as members occupied space in front messiness, or awkwardness, inherent of Toronto’s police headquarters, their in such movements is itself a politi- tents have since been packed up and cal tool. Smith-Prei and Stehle thus activists have moved on to new tac- ask us to embrace awkward activ- tics. Rather than focus on a perceived ist events rather than criticize their lack of identity of the U.S. Black Lives lack of clarity. Their book draws from Mater movement, and the difficulty a diverse range of popfeminist perfor- of articulating how it is meeting its AWKWARD POLITICS: TECHNOLOGIES mance-based activism that employs goals, by adopting the arguments in OF POPFEMINIST ACTIVISM digital tools for dissemination, pop Awkward Politics we can accept that CARRIE SMITH-PREI AND MARIA STEHLE literature and their own experiences Toronto’s Black Lives Mater move- as feminist activists. Events like Slut- ment is still developing. McGill-Queen’s University Press (May 2016), Walks—a protest march calling for an Perhaps the most significant contri- 280 pages, $34.95 end to rape culture—viral hashtag- bution this book makes to an ongoing ging that brings light to the abuse of conversation about digital activism N AWKWARD POLITICS Carrie Smith- women, flashmobs and artistic per- and feminist engagement is its unwa- Prei and Maria Stehle engage the formances are discussed as examples vering optimism about contemporary ongoing debate about the effective- of instances of activism that are at feminist movements. Smith-Prei and ness of digital feminist activism. The once awkward in their articulation of Stehle argue that despite ofen un- authors ask us to rethink how it is political outcomes and which atract clear goals and criticized tactics, we we evaluate the meaning of various widespread public atention. need to recognize how feminists take Iactivist projects. While raising ques- Smith-Prei and Stehl argue that to part in and enjoy these activist cam- tions about the efficacious nature of understand activism as awkward is to paigns as they collectively work to- activism is not unique, especially afer see it “in constant movement, circulat- ward making the world beter. 54 A CCPA summer reading guide

Socialism in colour The Verso Books–Jacobin magazine collaboration, The ABCs of Socialism, landed on my desk as I was editing this very section and looks as good as they promised. It’s purposefully timely, though mostly for a U.S. audience. The introduction suggests, hopefully, “The events of this year all point to the emergence of ‘Sanders Democrats,’ a group that is dispro- portionately young and calling for massive redistribution of wealth and power.” A dozen contributors try to answer questions like “Is socialism a Western concept?” (to address the critique Marx is just one of many Eurocentric thinkers we should leave on the shelf), how does it relate to feminism, will it be bad for the environment and, importantly for a lot of people, will it “be boring?” A four-by-ten-inch hardcopy will cost you $19.50 on the Jacobin website, but they have made the whole thing free online, with the added benefit of being able to click your way to further reading. Impressive. Also on my list is the slim Semaphore Series paperback Aqueduct: Colonialism, Resources and the Histories We Re- member (ARP Books) by Adele Perry. The self-styled “Fem- inist killjoy” at the University of Manitoba atacks the his- torical roots of the water crisis in the Shoal Lake 40 Anish- inaabe community (visited by Prime Minister Trudeau in April), in particular how Winnipeg was able to grow as it did afer 1919 by dispossessing an Indigenous people, their land and their water. (Stuart Trew, Editor, the Monitor)

Activist lives, personal and political Indigenous Nationhood: Empowering Grassroots Citizens (Fernwood) is a powerful collection of Mi’kmaq lawyer Pam Palmater’s blogs that sets the record straight on Indigenous rights and sovereignty in Canada afer 2010. Palmater takes on racist stereotypes and calls out colonialist policies. As a setler I always learnt a great deal from Palmater’s strong, intelligent and clear voice. This summer I’ll also be reading Inside the Now: Meditations on Time (Parallax Press). In Thich Nhat Hanh’s latest book, the Vietnamese peace ac- tivist and monk reflects on his past as a community-builder in war-torn Vietnam, developing a practice relevant to our time and seizing the moment. Inside the Now includes art and poetry; reading Thich Nhat Hanh is like drinking a cool glass of water: refreshing, grounding and energizing. (Mol- ly McCracken, Director, CCPA-Manitoba)

55 Following the money Back in 2011, Joseph E. Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning for- mer chief economist of the World Bank, published the best piece I’ve ever read on inequality in the peer-reviewed jour- nal Vanity Fair. Entitled “Of the 1%, For the 1%, By The 1%,” it explained why inequality is tolerated even as we are buried in evidence of the many ways its unchecked growth hurts everyone (including the rich) and is unsustainable over the long run. Inequality, Stiglitz explained, is not just another dirty emission of the free market. It is a planned part of the game, and creates a self-propelling machine in politics. What Stiglitz started, Jane Mayer finishes with the book Dark Mon- ey: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right (Doubleday), an exploration of the birth and grooming of The Republic of Spin that traces history and names names. I can’t wait to read it (because you just know the reshaping of the politics we are now being force-fed had to come from somewhere). It is a perfect backgrounder, too, for understanding how the U.S. presidential elections of the (still) biggest superpower in the world took on this halluci- natory form in 2016. (Armine Yalnizyan, Economist, CCPA)

Sharing or theft? Everyone and their Uber-taking aunt are talking about the sharing economy. Top of my summer reading list: Tom Slee’s new book on the subject, What’s Yours is Mine: Against the Sharing Economy (OR Books). Slee, who is based in Water- loo, “argues the so-called sharing economy damages devel- opment, extends harsh free-market practices into previous- ly protected areas of our lives, and presents the opportunity for a few people to make fortunes by damaging communities and pushing vulnerable individuals to take on unsustaina- ble risk.” (Trish Hennessy, Director, CCPA-Ontario)

Taking on her haters This summer I will be curling up with Lindy West’s Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman (Hachete Books). I have been following West’s work for years, and she has quickly become one of my favourite feminist writers (I still think about her piece for This American Life about confronting her online abuser). Shrill is a collection of essays about taking up space in a society that is hostile to women, particularly fat wom- en. It is funny, honest, vulnerable and important, and I high- ly recommend everybody read it. (Davis Carr, Communica- tions Assistant, CCPA)

56 HELP US SHED LIGHT ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. (we’ve got some bright ideas)

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